March 24, 2025 to March 24, 2125 - Self-Directed Online Course
Appreciative Inquiry’s (AI) 5-D Cycle is a transformative approach that fosters collaboration, growth, and innovation through strengths-based inquiry. This self-paced course provides an in-depth exploration of the Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Destiny phases – equipping you with the knowledge and tools to lead transformative change in any setting.
WHY THE APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY 5-D CYCLE MATTERS
The AI 5-D Cycle is a proven framework for unlocking potential, fostering positive change by leveraging strengths, engaging diverse perspectives, and inspiring action. It provides a structured yet flexible process that supports individuals and organizations in identifying opportunities, envisioning possibilities, and designing pathways toward sustainable success. The AI 5-D Cycle builds on what is working well to generate meaningful and lasting impact across personal growth, team dynamics, leadership development, and organizational transformation.
WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
Whether you are new to Appreciative Inquiry or looking to deepen your practice, this self-directed course offers real-world applications to enhance engagement, foster sustainable change, and spark creativity in both personal and professional settings. Through interactive exercises and reflection, you will explore how to integrate the AI 5-D Cycle into leadership, team dynamics, coaching, and daily interactions.
- Deepen Your AI Practice – Gain insights into the Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Destiny phases, how they interconnect, and how they are supported by the Appreciative Inquiry Principles.
- Reframe Challenges into Opportunities – Shift from fixing problems to co-creating possibilities. Apply AI methodologies to problem-solving, strategy development, and innovation.
- Create Meaningful Engagement – Discover techniques to foster inclusive dialogue and collaborative action.
- Sustainable Change & Strategic Implementation – Develop strategies to implement Appreciative Inquiry in a way that ensures lasting results. Turn aspirations into action.
- Practical AI Tools & Techniques – Apply AI methodologies to real-world challenges across personal and professional settings.
THE AI 5-D CYCLE: A CLOSER LOOK
This course consists of five lessons, each dedicated to one phase of the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle. Each lesson offers hands-on exercises, real-world applications, actionable strategies, and reflection prompts to deepen your understanding and application of the cycle in a meaningful way.
Lesson 1: DEFINE
Establishes a clear focus for inquiry is essential for guiding meaningful change. This phase helps identify key areas for transformation and emphasizes how the way a question is framed influences what is explored and discovered.
Lesson 2: DISCOVER
By uncovering strengths, best practices, and past successes, this phase builds on what is already working well. Through storytelling and appreciative interviews, participants gain deeper insights and illuminate new opportunities for growth and expansion.
Lesson 3: DREAM
Encourages envisioning bold possibilities and co-creating aspirational goals for the future. By fostering creativity and aligning vision with shared purpose, participants generate new pathways for innovation and change.
Lesson 4: DESIGN
Translating vision into action requires careful planning and consideration of available resources. This phase focuses on developing practical steps, assessing necessary supports, and structuring solutions that turn aspirations into reality.
Lesson 5: DESTINY
Sustaining positive change involves continuous reflection, collaboration, and adaptation. This phase explores ways to embed Appreciative Inquiry into everyday practices, ensuring long-term impact and lasting transformation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand and apply each phase of the AI 5-D process.
- Use AI to foster positive transformation in teams, organizations, and communities.
- Facilitate strengths-based conversations that spark engagement and innovation.
- Reframe challenges and develop actionable strategies using strengths-based approaches.
- Strengthen leadership skills through appreciative, future-focused visioning.
- Integrate AI methodologies into daily practices for sustainable impact.
WHO SHOULD ENROLL?
This course is ideal for leaders, HR professionals, coaches, facilitators, educators, consultants, and anyone looking to apply strengths-based approaches to foster engagement, collaboration, and innovation in various settings.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
DELIVERY FORMAT
Navigating the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle is a self-directed course with no required live or virtual sessions. Enjoy the flexibility to access materials, complete activities, and apply AI techniques whenever and wherever it works best for you.
Designed for diverse learning styles, this course incorporates text, graphics, videos, and downloadable activities. All materials are available online through LearnDash, the Center for Appreciative Inquiry’s learning management system. To support your learning experience, we have created a series of instructional videos designed to help you navigate LearnDash and maximize its features.
COURSE ACCESS
Gain immediate access to the Navigating the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle course upon registration. Course access remains available for one (1) year from the date of registration. During this time, participants are encouraged to log into LearnDash to download and save all materials, activities, and resources for future reference.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Certificates of Completion are available to all participants. To obtain a letter, participants must complete the training and submit course feedback. Certificates of Completion include the participant’s name, the name of the completed course, and the number of training hours offered by the course. The Navigating the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle self-directed course offers 8 training hours.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Do you have questions, need assistance with registration, want to inquire about group rates, or request a private training session for your team or organization? If so, please email Kathy Becker at Kathy@CenterForAppreciativeInquiry.net.
Course Developer
MELISSA ROBAINA, MBA, founder of Appreciative Inquiries, LLC and COO of The Center for Appreciative Inquiry, has over 15 years of experience fostering engagement and sustainable change using Appreciative Inquiry. She specializes in designing transformative learning experiences that spark personal and professional exploration through strengths-based tools, frameworks, and real-world applications.
Her first course, Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry, is CAI’s most popular self-directed course, highly rated for its comprehensiveness and practical application of AI’s foundational theories, principles, and the 5-D Cycle. Melissa continues to develop strengths-based courses and resources that empower individuals and organizations to integrate AI into their work and daily lives, inspiring meaningful conversations and lasting, positive change. Learn more about Melissa >>