Change Talk

In any conversation about change, you’ll hear statements that are pro-change or anti-change. “Pro-change” statements are called “change talk” and indicate that, even in some small way, the patient is contemplating change. “Anti-change” statements are called “sustain talk,” because they indicate desire to sustain the current behavior.

Sustain talk comes in the form of statements like “I love how smoking pot makes me feel,” or “It’s not a big deal to have a few beers with friends.” Since your goal in a brief intervention is to move people towards change, you should avoid spending time on sustain talk.

Instead, a key skill in a brief intervention is knowing how to identify and build upon change talk. Research shows that the more patients talk about changing, the more they do change. Some change talk is easy to notice because it’s specifically about thoughts or actions around change. These are statements like, “I didn’t like it when I got really drunk,” or “I know drinking’s not good for me,” or “I know I should quit.”

But also listen for statements that are not as easy to recognize, because they are expressions of desires, abilities, or needs, and indicate strong reasons for change. These are statements like “I’d like to have more time to work on my music,” or “I don’t play soccer as well after having a drink,” or “My mom would be so disappointed if she found out.”