Draft of Appreciative Inquiry book
Joan and I have submitted to our publisher the first draft of our book. The working title is ”Learning Magic: Appreciative Inquiry as a Transformative Force in Higher Education.”
Reviewers’ comments and edits are next…
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry, Collaboration, Consulting, Facilitation tools
Being Authentically ALIVE
Being authentically ALIVE is the ability to Appreciate, Love, Inquire, Venture, and Evolve in order to engage fully and joyfully in life. I developed this model as I lived through the very challenging time of my serious car accident described in earlier blogs. As I healed, learned to walk and to participate fully in life again, throughout the healing journey, I appreciated what was right about my serious situation – I was alive and had wonderful care to help me heal. I loved and was loved by those around me, family, friends, care givers whose support and care thoroughly nurtured me. I also loved myself in order to nurture my ability to inquire into what was possible, seeing what I could do to move along in my healing journey. Focusing on possibilities allowed me to venture courageously forward to try the next steps (literally) as I evolved into my new self, profoundly realizing that I would never be the same as before.
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry, Holistic Learning
Teaching/Learning Appreciative Inquiry
I teach a 6-week online course in Appreciative Inquiry (AI) through the University of Victoria. Although the university is on the west coast of Canada and I live on the east coast the Moodle medium (discussion board web site) allows me to work with my students who are also in many different parts of the continent/world. The students discuss articles, participate in an Appreciative Inquiry and write an AI concepts paper. I’ve just finished marking the papers. Each student wrote about how they would use AI. Their examples included using AI at work, with family, community and personal development. Some of the applications were creating a new business, evaluating human service organizations, changing health care processes, visioning (personal and organizational), First Nations community empowerment, teaching dancing, organizational culture change, re-energizing a service club, re-vitalizing a marriage, using AI with other processes and so on. These illustrated well how broad the possibilities are for applying AI to creating positive and generative change. Reading their examples gives me great hope that what they learned in the course will ripple out through their worlds and affect many others.
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry
Living Appreciative Inquiry Through Challenging Times – ALIVE
This month it was inspiring to facilitate our 2 hour Appreciative Inquiry Network session around the topic of “Living Appreciative Inquiry Through Challenging Times.” This group loves to delve deeply into stories and ideas so I tried out a model that I’m still developing called ALIVE. In small groups they shared stories of challenging times; answered a series of questions, working their way around the model; and shared these with the whole group. People were moved by the stories and their deepening understanding of what it takes to be fully alive through challenging times.
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry, Collaboration, Facilitation tools
Appreciative Inquiry Book
My partner Joan and I signed a contract today with publishers
Jossey-Bass to co-author a book on “Appreciative Inquiry
for Higher Education.” Yipee!!
The due date for the first full draft is October 15, 2011 so we’re
going to be busy…
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry, Collaboration, Consulting, Facilitation tools
Appreciating the New Year!
For me, January always feels like a new beginning. In it each year I celebrate my birthday, a new year. This year I’m very appreciative of the possibilities for 2011. Due to my very serious car accident, 2010 was a challenging year (see earlier blogs) and yet a year full of love, hope, healing and gratitude for being alive. As we begin 2011 I’m appreciative of the wonderful people in my life – family, friends, clients – and the work I am privileged to do – consulting, facilitating, writing, speaking…Using Appreciative Inquiry to live an appreciative life and to work with clients – engaging people in collaborative, creative processes to surface their wisdom for planning, problem solving, and working together effectively.
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciative Living
This week I had fun being interviewed by Jackie Kelm who has written the books “Appreciative Living” and “The Joy of Appreciative Living.” Her work is transformational. See her website, www.appreciativeliving.com.
She was interviewing me about my story of amazing healing after my very serious car accident. She called the story ”The Day Life Changed.” It was powerful to be able to tell the story and have someone else write it. Jackie captured the essence of how I used appreciative principles and mindset to heal. Please go to http://appreciativeliving.com/ez26/ to read my story.
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry
Living Appreciative Inquiry through Challenging Times – Holistic Healing
Healing is holistic, dependent on mind, body, heart and spirit…My logical mind listened to the advice of physiotherapists who were mandated to teach me to walk and be mobile again…I followed their recommendations by engaging my body in beginning to hop along in my walker, only one leg was allowed to weight bear at that time. Daily I would have visitors who came to support and encourage me with their love, sometimes watching me as I progressed further across the room in my walker or starting to move out down the hall…My spirit bolstered by my inner knowing that I would be well and others’ thoughts and words of encouragement.
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry, Holistic Learning
Living Appreciative Inquiry Through Challenging Times – April Fools
Today, re-reading the journal given to me by friends early in my 6-week hospital stay, I am moved by the loving words written by friends, family, care givers, other patients…the power of positive words to help healing…and moved by my own reflections… April 1, nine days after the accident, “if only this was an April Fool’s joke, an illusion/untruth…oh well, it’s not, so find the truth that helps me learn and grow from this…my learning is to focus on my body – learn to be strong – slow & steady, constant important focus in my life – just before the accident, glad I did a week of snorkelling away on holiday and a week working at home in nice weather with daily walking; day of my accident a morning bike ride & swim at the hotel – my body now proving the strength it has to heal…” Later on that morning my physiotherapist tells me she has had the okay for me to put weight on my right leg because the fractures in my pelvis on that side are aligned, stable…not an April Fool’s joke… so I begin to use the walker, hopping on my right leg….aaagh, the pain and the progress….
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry
Living Appreciative Inquiry in Challenging Times – Becoming Conscious Appreciatively
I have no memory of my car accident. Two days after it happened lying in a hospital bed with multiple injuries, I became conscious of my world once again. My first awareness was of loving family at my bedside and wonderful nurses and doctors taking care of my needs. I had no idea what had happened to me but could appreciate the care and love around me. I felt deeply happy (ok, it was more than the drugs) and knew I was meant to be alive. I lived appreciative inquiry – appreciating what was good about the situation and curious to know more…to apply appreciation of those who were taking care of me…and to watch them respond in their own appreciative ways….
Categories: Appreciative Inquiry