December 24, 2024 to December 25, 2144 - Self-Directed Online Course
Are you ready to take your Appreciative Inquiry practice to a whole new level? This ground-breaking on-demand course introduces Appreciative Presence – a transformative approach that cultivates the mindset essential for successful and impactful Appreciative Inquiry.
WHY APPRECIATIVE PRESENCE MATTERS
Many of us approach life through an “either/or” lens, where we feel compelled to choose between opposing ideas, such as focus versus openness or challenge versus appreciation. Appreciative Presence shifts this mindset to a “both-and” framework, encouraging the integration of contrasting concepts. This practice fosters adaptability and balance, allowing us to remain mindful and present during challenges while cultivating a perspective of gratitude, potential, and possibility. By embracing this duality, we open ourselves to richer and more nuanced experiences.
Through mindfulness practices, self-reflection exercises, and the latest research in neuroscience, you’ll gain the tools to develop a core mindset, deepen connections, and foster meaningful change in your personal and professional life
COURSE OBJECTIVES
As a fully engaged participant, you will leave this course better able to:
- Understand Appreciative Presence. Gain a foundational understanding of what Appreciative Presence is and explore how mindfulness and appreciation are woven together.
- Practical Integration. Apply the tenets and practices of Appreciative Presence across personal, professional, and relational contexts.
- Adopt a Mindful Approach. Cultivate a mindset that integrates presence and appreciation in everyday interactions.
- Foster Authentic Connections. Build stronger relationships through mindful engagement and appreciative practices.
- Develop Sustainable Practices. Establish lasting habits that reinforce mindfulness, appreciation, and connection.
- Lead with Purpose. Leverage your Appreciative Presence practice to inspire growth and positive change for yourself and others.
COURSE TOPICS
This online course includes 7 engaging topics, each offering opportunities for reflection and practical application. Through targeted exercises designed to ground, elevate, and expand your Appreciative Presence, you will deepen your understanding of how mindfulness and appreciation shape meaningful connections.
Explore the essence of Appreciative Presence by reflecting on how to “be” AI before “doing” AI. This foundational topic introduces the importance of cultivating an appreciative way of being that aligns with authenticity, courage, and mindfulness. It highlights the transformative power of adopting a “both-and” mindset that embraces complexity and fosters resilience.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Understand the essence of Appreciative Presence and its role in Appreciative Inquiry.
- Explore how mindfulness and appreciation create balance.
- Recognize how presence strengthens personal and professional connections.
- Navigate challenges authentically and with resilience.
- Align intentions and attention with Appreciative Presence principles.
Explore the advantages of practicing Appreciative Presence, focusing on its role in enhancing well-being and fostering deeper connections. Through mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-awareness, you’ll discover how integrating these practices can promote resilience, focus, and a deeper sense of holistic balance.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Understand how Appreciative Presence integrates mindfulness to improve overall well-being.
- Explore the connection between self-awareness and emotional regulation.
- Strengthen your ability to focus and stay present.
- Recognize the benefits of deepening the mind-body connection.
- Enhancing Integration and Emotional Regulation
- Building Mind-Body Connection for Holistic Growth
Discover the five layers of Appreciative Presence, guided through a journey of self-awareness, alignment, and connection. Each layer builds on the previous, cultivating a holistic awareness that integrates your physical, emotional, and cognitive experiences. By exploring these layers, you’ll deepen your presence and foster authentic connections with yourself and others.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Cultivate awareness of the present moment through grounding techniques.
- Explore emotions and thoughts with openness and clarity.
- Align physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts to create inner harmony.
- Foster authentic connections by extending presence outward.
- Recognize the ripple effect of Appreciative Presence on relationships and interactions.
Examine the core motivations behind cultivating Appreciative Presence. By uncovering biases like negativity and implicit bias, understand how these unconscious tendencies shape perceptions and interactions. Build awareness to navigate challenges with discernment and foster equitable, appreciative connections.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Reflect on the motivations behind cultivating Appreciative Presence.
- Understand the impact of negativity and implicit biases on perceptions and relationships.
- Develop strategies to recognize and challenge unconscious biases.
- Cultivate a balanced approach to navigating challenges with appreciation.
- Promote equity and discernment in interactions and decision-making.
Explore the powerful role of intention in shaping your experiences and future. By reflecting on what motivates us to cultivate Appreciative Presence, we uncover the deeper values and aspirations that guide our actions. This practice enables us to engage fully with the present moment while setting purposeful intentions for growth and connection.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Reflect on the implicit motivations behind cultivating Appreciative Presence.
- Understand how intention influences thoughts, behaviors, and personal growth.
- Explore the relationship between present awareness and future aspirations.
- Recognize the role of responsibility in addressing challenges and fostering growth.
- Develop strategies to align present actions with meaningful intentions.
Master the art of focusing your attention amidst modern distractions, balancing awareness with engagement. By balancing spacious awareness with focused engagement, you’ll learn how to direct your energy toward what truly matters. Through practice, you’ll cultivate mental clarity, agility, and stability, empowering you to navigate life with greater intentionality and presence.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Understand the importance of balancing focused attention with spacious awareness.
- Develop practices to maintain mental clarity and stability in a complex world.
- Recognize how attention directs energy and shapes meaningful connections.
- Cultivate the ability to appreciate and focus on what truly matters.
- Apply strategies to strengthen attention and resilience in daily life.
Reflect on your journey into Appreciative Presence by exploring embodied awareness and alignment, emphasizing the importance of grounding and centering yourself through aligned listening and mindfulness. Discover the transformative balance between appreciating challenges and honoring growth, showcasing how Appreciative Presence transcends techniques to become a way of being and doing.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Develop practical strategies to sustain Appreciative Presence.
- Reflect on the significance of embodied awareness and alignment.
- Explore how grounding enhances mindfulness and appreciation.
- Understand how “being” and “doing” intersect in Appreciative Inquiry.
- Recognize challenges as pathways for growth and learning.
WHO SHOULD ENROLL?
Whether you are new to Appreciative Inquiry or looking to deepen your knowledge, this course is ideal for:
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Leaders, facilitators, and coaches aiming to strengthen their Appreciative Inquiry practices.
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Professionals seeking to improve self-awareness, communication, and relational skills.
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Individuals looking to create a more mindful, appreciative, and balanced life.
DELIVERY FORMAT
The Cultivating Appreciative Presence online program is an asynchronous, self-paced course. An asynchronous online course is a fully online course with no required virtual or face-to-face (live) sessions. This course offers flexibility to access instructional materials and resources, complete activities, and practice techniques and skills essential to the learning goals for this course at time, place, and location that works best for you. Estimated completion time for this course is 10-12 hours.
All course materials and activities are located online and can be found on LearnDash, the Center for Appreciative Inquiry’s learning management system.
Please note: upon registration, you will gain access to all course materials for a full year, beginning on your registration date. This flexibility allows you to learn at your own pace and revisit, download, and save the content whenever needed during your access period.
Course Developer
Ezelle Theunissen is a community psychologist and coach supporting individuals, teams and organizations align their values, strengths and unique lived experiences towards making a meaningful difference in the world. Social and environmental justice are close to her heart and she favors whole systems and person-centered approaches. Learn More >>