Virtual Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (vAIFT)

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August 7, 2023 at 9:00 am to August 17, 2023 at 11:00 am PDT - CAI Online Learning Platform

What might be possible if a community of individuals were fully engaged and using their strengths to collectively achieve shared visions?

What is Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry is a collaborative, strengths-based approach to both personal and organizational development that is proving to be highly effective in thousands of organizations and communities in hundreds of countries around the world. It is a way of bringing about change that shares leadership and learning, fully engaging everyone in the organization.

Virtual AIFT Program Overview

The Virtual Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (vAIFT) © is a two-week online certification program that engages participants to learn about the foundations and principles of Appreciative Inquiry as well as provide the skills necessary to facilitate appreciative inquiry sessions in all human systems (large or small). This course teaches the basics of Appreciative Inquiry (e.g. principles, 5-Ds, supporting theory and research, etc.) but delves deeper by providing experiential exercises that teach participants how to define the topic of inquiry, practice positive framing, work with core teams, design and field test an interview protocol, and more…

This Appreciative Inquiry foundations course includes mini-lectures, and experiential learning (individual, pairs, trios, small group, and large group) as well as auditory and visual materials to enhance the learning experience.

Training is designed for:

Leaders in businesses and corporations, community development, educational organizations, governmental organizations, and nonprofit organizations–in short, anyone who wants to learn how to facilitate Appreciative Inquiry.

Training Schedule and Hours

The virtual Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (vAIFT) is designed to be a blended learning experience. This means portions of the course will be delivered synchronously (in real-time through services like Zoom) and asynchronously (you read and participate in activities and exercises at a time/pace/place that works best for you to be ready for the synchronous session). The combination of synchronous and asynchronous work will equate to 26 training hours (same as our face-to-face AIFT program). Participants will need to complete the program in its entirety to be eligible to earn their AI Facilitator Certification, this includes participating in all synchronous sessions.

Please note: the synchronous portions of the vAIFT are highly experiential and will not be recorded. The vAIFT Trainers will be utilizing breakout rooms to develop community and trust amongst participants, conduct paired interviews, and engage in small group discussions and reflections.

vAIFT Orientation:

To ensure that all participants are off to a strong start, your vAIFT trainers will host a live orientation session via Zoom on Monday, July 31st at 9:00am Pacific Time. Orientation allows you to connect with your trainers, engage with participants, become familiar with LearnDash (our online learning platform), and ask questions about pre-workshop reading and activities prior to your first vAIFT session in Zoom on Monday, Aug. 7th, 2023.

vAIFT Training Dates/Times:

The SYNCHRONOUS portion (‘real time’ learning with your vAIFT trainers). The virtual AIFT program is an intensive, accelerated program spanning over the course of 2-weeks. Below are the hours for live interaction and collaboration with your vAIFT trainers and cohorts:

WEEK 1:

MONDAY
Aug. 7, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

TUESDAY
Aug. 8, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

WEDNESDAY
Aug. 9, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

THURSDAY
Aug. 10, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

WEEK 2:

MONDAY
Aug. 14, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

TUESDAY
Aug. 15, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

WEDNESDAY
Aug. 16, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

THURSDAY
Aug. 17, 2023
9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

*Please note: all times listed above are Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

The ASYNCHRONOUS portion of your training begins:

  • Monday, July 31, 2023 with introductory activities and runs throughout the 2 weeks of synchronous learning. You will receive login information to the Center for Appreciative Inquiry’s (CAI) online learning platform closer to the vAIFT start date.
vAIFT Training Segments:

AIFT is divided into 4 ‘segments’. Each segment consists of modules containing exercises, readings, and discussions.

SEGMENT I – EXPERIENCING APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

Learn basic processes and experience AI by participating in a facilitated Appreciative Inquiry led by the Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training Trainers

SEGMENT II – UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

Actively learn about the concepts, principles, theories and research.

SEGMENT III – PLANNING AND DESIGNING AN APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY SESSION

Plan and practice how you will begin helping your organization, group, or community build upon their strengths.

SEGMENT IV – PRACTICING APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY APPLICATIONS

  • Practice exercises you can take home to use Appreciative Inquiry in your personal and professional life.
  • Practice choosing the best language, words for facilitating Appreciative Inquiry within a particular culture.
  • Begin developing your plan to become a certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator by completing a Practicum/Supervised Experience.

We will start our synchronous sessions on time and work diligently to maintain the vAIFT schedule, honoring our commitment to the learning experience. We have found full participation to be the most productive for the participants and the trainers.

Key Learning Outcomes

As a fully engaged participant in the Virtual Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (vAIFT©), you will leave the workshop better able to:

  1. Create/enhance your personal way of being and doing in order to use an appreciative approach; focus on what’s right in your world, so that you can deeply inquire into what’s right and why, and then find ways of intentionally creating more of what’s right in your world.
  2. Facilitate individuals, groups, organizations, and communities to create collective ways of being and doing using an appreciative approach; that will help them focus on what’s right so that they can deeply inquire into what’s right and why, and then find ways of intentionally working with them to both create more of what’s right and envision innovation and new ways of being and doing.

Letter of Completion

To obtain a letter of completion (and to be eligible for consideration for AI Facilitator Certification) each participant must complete 26 training hours. Letters of completion include your name, date of your training, and number of classroom hours earned.

Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Certification

Each of our certification courses require a written practicum (‘narrative’) of your work. The learning management system will be accessible to you to review materials for a full year after the vAIFT. The purpose of your practicum is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, its various applications, what you learned, etc. Participants will submit their practicum for review by our Practicum Review Committee which consists of 2-4 seasoned Ai practitioners. It is standard practice for the panel to engage participants in a conversation (conducted virtually) about their practicum. Typically, they will respond with questions to deepen their and the participant’s mutual understanding of, and learning about, AI. The practicum review is therefore a dialogical and interactive process.

Participants have up to one year from the date of their training to submit their practicum for review. During this time, your trainers make themselves available to you for mentoring and support (at no additional cost) as you work through your first inquiry. Your mentoring/support can be done via telephone, skype, zoom, etc. You and your trainers can arrange a time and platform in which to conduct these sessions. Learn more about our Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Certification requirements here.

Once certified, your Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Certification lasts for 2 years. AI Certification with the Center for Appreciative Inquiry includes:

  • Appreciative Inquiry Certification document that will be emailed to you for your records;
  • Center for Appreciative Inquiry Certification logo that you are welcome to embed on your website or include in your email signature;
  • Listing on our Appreciative Inquiry Directory. Your Ai Directory listing is an editable profile page that includes your photo and professional biography that highlights your specialties, articles, videos and testimonials. Directory profiles are easy to create and update and will make you locatable by our worldwide audience. All Directory profiles will remain visible on our website for the duration of your certification. Our Appreciative Inquiry certification is good for 2 years; after which you may renew your Ai certification. You can learn more about the benefits of our AI Directory here.

Additional Training Information

Online Learning Platform

Participants will receive login information to the Center for Appreciative Inquiry’s (CAI) online learning platform closer to the training date. We will open the online platform to participants prior to the start of the training. This allows participants time to navigate the software and become acquainted with the various features and tools it offers, introduce themselves to their trainers and other vAIFT participants, and access all pre-workshop reading and materials.

Refund Policy

All fees are due upon registration.  Your full participation is very important to us and we know that from time to time, your plans to attend one of our workshops or programs may change.  Our refund policy reflects our interest in your continued growth and learning journey as well as our planning needs and expenses incurred based on your enrollment. For more information about our Refund Policy, please click here.

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Event Registration

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Registration Includes

Your paid vAIFT registration includes:

  • Pre-workshop reading and exercises;
  • One hour recorded zoom orientation prior to course;
  • Eight (8) live 2-hour synchronous learning and practice sessions from two seasoned AI practitioners;
  • Instructional Materials (slide deck, readings, and auditory/visual resources to enhance your learning experience);
  • Supervised practicum for AI Facilitator Certification;
  • Support/mentorship for one (1) year following the training;
  • Free profile listing on our growing AI Directory (available to participants who earn their certification) for the duration of their certification.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

This certification course utilizes the textbook, Appreciative Inquiry: Change at the Speed of Imagination (2nd Edition) by Jane Magruder Watkins, Bernard Mohr, and Ralph Kelly.

Your trainers will assign readings from this book throughout your training. You will need to purchase this textbook prior to the start of this course. This book is available in electronic or paperback versions. Please select the version that is in alignment with your learning style and preference. You can purchase your textbook here.

AI Practitioners

Tech Host: Heather Leavitt Martinez (she/her/hers) is a visual practitioner, certified Appreciative Inquiry facilitator, Director at Tech Host Academy, and author living in Durango, Colorado. Heather’s visual approach turns attendees into participants during virtual and in-person meetings. In this capacity, she lends her tech hosting expertise to ensure our online learning sessions are engaging, efficient, and equitable. Learn More About Heather >>

Trainer: Kathy Becker is the CEO/President of the Company of Experts, Inc. and the Center for Appreciative Inquiry. She has been overseeing this Small Woman Owned Business since 2005 serving schools, colleges and universities, businesses, corporations and non-profits moving them from deficit models of planning and thinking to engagement, empowerment and collaboration. Learn More About Kathy>>

Trainer: Lane Glenn, PhD, is the president of a Boston area community college in New England, certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator and an Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT©) Trainer. He has a diverse background in education, leadership and organizational development, strengths-based planning, economic development, and the performing arts that includes more than twenty-five years of teaching and administration in higher education; facilitating leadership programs for higher education professionals; consulting and training for business and industry; creating regional economic development strategies; and directing and acting in stage productions, commercials and films; writing for magazines, journals, encyclopedias, and blog sites. Learn More About Lane>>

Event Cost

Register early to receive discounted Early Bird Pricing of:

  • Standard vAIFT Registration: $2,491.00 USD
  • Non-Profit vAIFT Registration: $2,199.00 USD

After July 7, 2023, the price for this training increases to:

  • Standard vAIFT Registration: $2,756.00 USD
  • Non-Profit vAIFT Registration: $2,465.00 USD

Group discounts are available starting at groups of 3 or more. Please contact us for pricing information.

A flexible Payment Plan is available to reserve your seat and utilize any discounts before they expire.

Payment options include Credit/Debit card, PayPal, and Venmo.

Organizer

Kathy Becker
Email:
Kathy@CenterforAppreciativeInquiry.net

Venue

CAI Online Learning Platform