Co-Creating Hopeful Future Stories through an Appreciative ...



20001549402000200660Co-Creating Hopeful Future Stories through an Appreciative Lens WorkBookNEOAAC Conference May 20186900096000Co-Creating Hopeful Future Stories through an Appreciative Lens WorkBookNEOAAC Conference May 2018730005673725center 2420096000 What is Appreciative Inquiry?5 Principles of Appreciative InquiryThe Constructionist Principle: Words Create WorldsReality, as we know it, is a subjective vs. objective state and is socially created through language and conversations.The Simultaneity Principle: Inquiry Creates ChangeInquiry is an intervention. The moment we ask a question, we begin to create a change. “The questions we ask are fateful.”The Poetic Principle: We Can Choose What We StudyTeams and organizations, like open books, are endless sources of study and learning. What we choose to study makes a difference. It describes – even creates – the world as we know it.The Anticipatory Principle: Image Inspires ActionHuman systems move in the direction of their images of the future. The more positive and hopeful the image of the future, the more positive the present-day action.The Positive Principle: Positive Questions Lead to Positive ChangeMomentum for [small or] large-scale change requires large amounts of positive affect and social bonding. This momentum is best generated through positive questions that amplify the positive core.The Appreciative Inquiry Process373697541973500Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a strength based approach to organizational and individual development that focuses on finding out what is working and why. This information is gathered primarily through one-on-one interactions with individuals. The AI process is broken down into 4 Stages, call the 4 D’s: Discovery: The identification of organizational processes that work well. Dream: The envisioning of processes that would work well in the future. Design: Planning and prioritizing processes that would work well. Delivery: The implementation of the proposed design. The basic idea is then to build organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesn't work. Appreciative Inquiry practitioners approach the process as the opposite of problem-solving, with a positive focus on how to increase exceptional performance instead of reacting to negative aspects. AI assumes that this process is motivational because organizational development work does not stop when a particular problem is solved but leads to continuous improvement. Problem-centered approaches and appreciative inquiryAppreciative Inquiry suggests that we look for, and focus on, “what works well” within a community, group, organization, or individual. When we look for problems we find them. When we look for successes, we can find those, too. By studying the problems, we learn what “not to do.” By building on successes, we already know what works, and we need to learn how to build upon those successes for the future. The following points contrast Appreciative Inquiry with a typical problem-centered approach to development.Problem Focused Approach to DevelopmentAppreciative Approach to DevelopmentIdentification of problemAppreciating the best of “what is”Analysis of causesImagining “what might be”Analysis of possible solutionsDialoguing “what should be”Action planning to treat problemCreating “What will be” Discovery through Appreciative Conversations(Adapted from USAID Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry Training Manual)Why Storytelling?People are able to provide rich answers to questions seeking “data” about success in their own “systems” (lives, groups, organizations, etc.).Information that comes through personal narratives and stories is generally richer, and more accurate, than merely listing strengths, for example.Through stories, strengths, values, and resources emerge, but more naturally. Most people in most cultures are also comfortable with stories – story telling is part of most cultures.The very act of asking and answering questions begins to shift the system in the direction of the questions being asked – our questions are “fateful”.Collective surfacing of memory invites multiple forms or innovation, not necessary possible with more linear thinking.Stories have depth and breadth that allows more to be conveyed than just a list or key points.Engage the imagination in ways analytical discussions cannot.Telling and listening to stories stimulates excitement and delight!Conversation GuidelinesChoose someone you do not know or someone you would like to know better.Use the conversation guide as your “script,” to interview each other for 5 to 10 minutes each.Capture key words and phrases.Introduce and ask the questions as they are written.If necessary, use additional questions to encourage the interviewee.Let the interviewee tell his or her story. Try to refrain from giving yours. You will be next.Listen attentively. Be curious about the experience, the feelings, and the thoughts. Allow for silence. If your partner does not want to or cannot answer a question, it is OK.Allow Enough Time and Watch Your Time –If there is a set time limit for the conversation, be aware of it and stick to it. If you need more time, ask if this is possible.Seek firsthand experience rather than stories about others (stories about group of which your partner is a member OK).Deal constructively with negative comments or a tendency to focus on problems.Postponing – Acknowledge what the person says and comment that you’d like to come back to it later. Then, when you reach the “wishes” part, mention that this is where commenter can turn his/her “negative data” into a wish.Listening and Acknowledge Feelings – Listen carefully, keeping an affirmative spirit. People may need to express their feelings before they can move on to thinking more appreciatively. Recognize that some people may feel discouraged and have difficulty initially focusing on the positive. Acknowledge these feelings, and try to steer them back to the more positive question.Encourage – Help people see what they have overcome. They may still be dwelling on the negativity of a particular situation. Help them to see (and celebrate!) the fact that they have moved on.Redirecting – Encourage trying to think even of small moments of success. If they insist this has never happened, ask them to think of a similar success in another context.Using Negative Data/Reframing – Invite them to turn the negative data around. In other words, if they were saying, “people in this community aren’t willing to do anything on their own.” Ask, “Your saying this suggests that you have an image in your mind of what the community would look like if it did work on its own. Could you describe that for me? If the person has difficulty reframing, do it for him/her and then confirm your restatement with the interviewee.Have fun.Activity One – Appreciative Conversations (Discover)(Adapted from K. Brooks – Appreciative Career Coaching)What are your top five strengths?How could you build on your strengths?When have you been at your all-time best? What were you doing? What did you like about it?What talents and strengths would you like to carry into your future?Do you think an employer would appreciate these strengths? How might these strengths make you a better professional?If you had a magic wand and could have any three wishes granted to heighten the health and vitality of your career, what would they be?1)2)3)Activity Two – Appreciative Conversations (Dream)(Adapted from K. Brooks – Appreciative Career Coaching)What does your future look like? What do you see when you picture it?Can you see yourself living it?What are you doing, thinking, or feeling?Describe a typical day when you’re living your dream.What skills or knowledge do you need to acquire to make your dream a reality?Activity Three – Appreciative Conversations (Design)(Adapted from K. Brooks – Appreciative Career Coaching)What could you do to move one step closer to your dreams?What person or resources could assist you?What have you already put in place?Developing Appreciative Questions(Adapted from Imagine Chicago: Developing Appreciative Questions)Appreciative Inquiry questions focus on what has life, meaning and value. When groups use Appreciative Inquiry, they share in a way that stretches collective vision because they are sharing stories of what has been possible and worthwhile. Bringing valued experiences into consciousness encourages action aligned with those values. People learn to see themselves as subjects of a system they can actively transform rather than as objects of a system that limits their imagination or determines their action.The power of the right question – points to remember:The person who sets the question sets the direction and has the power of a change agent. Images of the future are powerful. We can only move in the direction of what we can imagine.Human systems want to move in a positive direction like plants seeking the sun. Positive questions and feedback create energy — like the sun, they literally make it more possible to live and to grow. It is important to name and claim what’s working as well as what needs work. This is a trustworthy foundation on which to build.Negative images and conversations weaken us mentally and physically; positive images strengthen us and what we can accomplish.Positive communication is essential to mental and community health and requires practice. We are surrounded by negative vocabulary. We can choose to replace it with affirmative communication and community affirmation.Example: Positive images of youth are essential to creating a social culture in which young people are encouraged to make a contribution. Because some people now see young people as problems to be solved or criminals to be feared, we need to showcase positive stories and images of what young people value and can accomplish and contribute.To design good appreciative inquiry questions, remember to:Ask about ultimate concerns (e.g. What do you value most?)Use positive questions that build on positive assumptions; (e.g. What about this neighborhood makes you especially glad you live here?)Give a thought-provoking, appealing definition of topics; (e.g., “Constructive experiences of difference inspire new ways of thinking.”)Present questions as an invitation using expansive, positive, feeling, experiential words. (What has inspired you to get engaged? What do you most hope to contribute?)Enhance the possibilities of storytelling by asking questions about trusted personal experience. (Thinking back on your year, please share a high point when…)Phrase questions in a conversational, friendly tone (and listen eagerly as to a friend.) Ask open questions to which you do not know the answer, and expect to learn something interesting and important. (Open ended questions cannot be answered “yes” or “no”)Good questions invite thinking—they stretch the imagination and inspire new thoughts without evoking defensiveness or hostility. Reach for the “um”!Debrief & Personal ContributionsWhat were some highlights of appreciative practice that you learned? Where did you resonate with this topic? Where do you still have questions or doubts? What were some key points you want to call out? As student development professional, how will you apply some of these lessons or techniques? ................
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