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Appreciative Inquiry + Visuals: Meeting Design (Part 2)

EVENT DATE & TIME:

Session 1**

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

DEFINE/DISCOVER

DREAM

DESIGN

DESTINY/DELIVER

This pre-requisite session is offered several times throughout the year and must be completed prior to this workshop.

November 2, 2022
9:00am-11:00am PST / 12:00pm-2:00pm EST

November 9, 2022
9:00am-11:00am PST / 12:00pm-2:00pm EST

November 16, 2022
9:00am-11:00am PST / 12:00pm-2:00pm EST

**Session 1, Appreciative Inquiry + Visuals: Free Mini-Session (part 1), is a free, 30-minute workshop that will be offered multiple times throughout the year. We invite you to visit our event calendar to find a date that works best for you. If you are unable to attend a live session, you can also meet this pre-requisite by watching a recording of the event. You can enjoy the recording here.

Please note: While live attendance will give you the greatest return on your investment of time, all virtual sessions will be recorded and saved for participants who are unable to attend a scheduled webinar. Links to the recordings will be provided so that participants can view/listen to the recording at a time that works best for them.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

Combining visuals with the facilitated Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process increases participant engagement in meetings through a shared vision of understanding—not to mention, enjoyment! Imagine where you fall in a Venn diagram. Whether you are an AI Facilitator who wants to add visuals to your toolbox, or an experienced Visual Practitioner who wants to integrate AI into your work, the combination of the two offer a rich, interactive environment for both online or in-person meetings.

This course is designed to give you a variety of visual tools, templates and exercises that align with each step of the Appreciative Inquiry 5D Framework. Following the framework, you can create custom templates to use as facilitation tools designed to meet your clients’ desired outcomes. We will explore these complimentary approaches with others in the AI and/or visual field to deepen your understanding and bring value to your projects.

The live, online sessions will allow you to experience the process as a participant and give you the insights to apply to your facilitative practice. Participants do not need to know how to draw, just have an open mind to drawing. We will cover several ways to make meetings visual without drawing live in front of your client. Nor do participants need to be certified AI facilitators or coaches. Regardless of your skill level, your interest and passion will drive your curiosity. Together we will dive deep into the value of visuals in AI facilitated meetings.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Each session offers a new library of resources to support your visual AI facilitation efforts.

SESSION 1: DEFINE/DISCOVER (pre-requisite for this course)

Participants must complete this session prior to the start of this event. Session 1, Appreciative Inquiry + Visuals: Free Mini-Session (part 1), teaches participants how visuals and Appreciative Inquiry can be used to visually facilitate a discovery meeting with a client. This session will be offered several times prior to the course. We invite you to visit our event calendar to find a date that works best for you. You may attend one or more live or watch a recording of one of the live sessions.

SESSION 2: DREAM

Together we will leverage a series of visual templates to dream about the common desired outcomes of meetings and what you would like to gain out of the course.

SESSION 3: DESIGN

Co-creation is key! We will custom design visual templates based on the AI questions we develop to engage participants. These will be shared to increase our library of resources.

SESSION 4: DESTINY/DELIVER

There are many analog and digital visual tools used to support meaningful conversations. We will determine the appropriate tool for the job based on efficacy and your comfort level.

Visual templates and exercises shared in this class can be further customized for your use with any individual, team, organization or community. Additional resources will be shared should you want to expand your AI + Visuals practice. Participants in the course have full access to the instructor via email between sessions 2-4 for feedback.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This workshop is designed for:

  • AI Facilitators or meeting organizers who want to add visuals to their toolbox.
  • Visual Practitioners who want to integrate AI into their work.

PRE-REQUISITE:

Session 1 is a free 30-minute Define and Discovery session that will be offered several times prior to the course. We invite you to visit our event calendar to find a date that works best for you. You may attend one or more live or watch a recording of one of the live sessions.

PRE-WORK/HOMEWORK:

In addition to completing the Define and Discovery session prior to the start of the course, you will be asked AI questions between each session in the form of visual templates you can customize and use in the delivery of your AI Visual work.

METHOD OF DELIVERY:

This live event will be delivered using Zoom and will be using the Zoom annotation tool. While you may participate in this live event using any device: computer or tablet, you will have the most optimal experience if you join via a laptop or desktop computer.

You will receive the Zoom login information upon registration. If you have any questions about this event or have difficulty connecting in Zoom, please contact Heather Martinez at Heather@HeatherMartinez.com.

Co-Creating a More Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive World with Appreciative Inquiry

Event Dates and Times

Webinar #1: Renew

Webinar #2: Relate

Webinar #3: Co-Create

Webinar #4: Resolve

October 5, 2022

October 12, 2022

October 19, 2022

October 26, 2022

9:00am-11:00am PDT

12:00pm-2:00pm EDT

6:00pm-8:00pm SAST

9:00am-11:00am PDT

12:00pm-2:00pm EDT

6:00pm-8:00pm SAST

9:00am-11:00am PDT

12:00pm-2:00pm EDT

6:00pm-8:00pm SAST

9:00am-11:00am PDT

12:00pm-2:00pm EDT

6:00pm-8:00pm SAST

Virtual Series Overview

Learn how to apply Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to create the social change of our time. This moment is opportune for AI principles and tools to help focus our work on intercultural competence, diversity, equity and inclusion (ICDEI) issues like #BlackLivesMatters, #MeToo, #Refugees Welcome and rise to the call to action. So, come prepared to collaboratively inquire into what’s working and what’s possible to create the change we want to see in our workplaces, communities and family systems.

This course is designed to support you in taking ICDEI actions with AI principles, process and tools. We invite you to come with a ICDEI project (big or small, personal or professional) that will ensure your learning through immediate application. We will help you identify the individual and collective strengths within your initiative, develop generative questions to engage in listening and storytelling for positive possibilities, and ensure you have an action plan to co-create a more interculturally competent, diverse, equitable and inclusive destiny.

We will share our expertise working in the fields of ICDEI and OD, including our theory of change and model published in an Inclusive Leadership book (2020, Routledge*). However, this course will not be a diversity, equity and inclusion training, an unconscious bias assessment, nor an anti-racism webinar. We will provide links to those resources, some which will form part of the pre-work, as there are incredible colleagues who have devoted their life and work to building ICDEI knowledge and skill set deep dives (for longer than the duration of this course permits).

This course is designed for all Appreciative Inquiry skill levels, whether you are new to AI or you’re an AI expert and yearning to incorporate ICDEI into your living AI practice. Come experience and learn how to apply our successful strengths based strategy and relational processes for systems change!

Learning Outcomes

As a result of participating in this 4-webinar series you will be able to:

– Actively contribute to a more intercultural competent, diverse, equitable and inclusive world.
– Learn bespoke ICDEI Appreciative Inquiry practice and tools.
– Work on your own ICDEI project at work, home or in your community using AI.
– Establish a learning and accountability process and community for your AI ICDEI work.
– Create an Action Plan to make your DEI project’s destiny inevitable.

Target Audience

AI practitioners and AI students, consultants, coaches, collaborative group leaders, DEI practitioners interested in AI and anyone seeking to strengthen their Appreciative Inquiry practices and tools to increase their diversity, equity and inclusion work at work, home, or in their communities.

Virtual Webinar Series

WEBINAR #1: CREATING A SAFE CONTAINER AND BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE – RENEW
October 5, 2022 – 9:00am-11:00am Pacific/12:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern/ and 6:00-8:00 p.m. SAST

We will share a relational theory of change and appreciative leadership model applied to ICDEI. We will discuss and identify various diversity markers and explore the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, with an additional AI lens, e.g. “how might the term serve as a meaningful metaphor for bringing out the best of women by exploring layers of strengths and wisdom developed by living with multiple forms of inequality and disadvantage” (Thriving Women, Thriving World. 2019, Taos*). We will build understanding and trust through paired work and group shared agreements. The discussions will be informed in part through ICDEI pre-readings and personal experiences of positive change.

WEBINAR #2: PROJECT-BASED WORK – RELATE

October 12, 2022 – 9:00am-11:00am Pacific/12:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern/ and 6:00-8:00 p.m. SAST

We will review and integrate AI principles, tools, and or process into each person’s identified personal or professional ICDEI project. Small groups will learn and practice a strengths-based peer mentoring and coaching “Spaciousness Thinking Partners” process to build, brainstorm and peer feedback on each project. The process involves amplifying and dreaming into what is possible.

WEBINAR #3: EMBODIED LEARNING – CO-CREATE
October 19, 2022 – 9:00am-11:00am Pacific/12:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern/ and 6:00-8:00 p.m. SAST

We will review and explore how the projects, following asynchronous project building, can go further with deeper reflection and breakthroughs on limiting beliefs. We will craft and use generative questions to center living AI and ICDEI ethos and values in your professional and personal processes. What is emerging that informs your ICDEI future? How can this be practically applied? Where do you need further support? How can you share, learn and grow as an AI ICDEI community? What are the generative questions we need to consistently and persistently be asking to grow our ICDEI strengths-based practice?

WEBINAR #4: AI ACTION PLANS IN INDIVIDUAL, COLLECTIVE, AND SYSTEMIC ICDEI INITIATIVES – RESOLVE

October 26, 2022 – 9:00am-11:00am Pacific/12:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern/ and 6:00-8:00 p.m. SAST

We will conclude harvesting the projects review and exploration. We will reflect on and converge all our key insights and emerging wisdom in order to solidify a vast toolbox for practical application post course. Our DEI resolve and resilience is explored by delving into the inner condition and external relationships (with both allies and antagonists) needed for successful action.

To strengthen our community of practice, supportive materials, resources and recommended readings will be made available, as well as between-session sharing of practices, questions, and reflections into new ways of thinking.

Method of Delivery

This course will be delivered virtually using Zoom over 4 weeks with a two-hour webinar per week. Prior to this event, the facilitators will email you everything you need to participate in this course, including: the Zoom meeting login information and a link to an online collaboration space.

Please note: these virtual webinar sessions may be recorded for asynchronous reviewing, however, due to the experiential nature of the session and the extensive time working and learning in small groups they do not count towards certification of attendance. Asynchronous learning will focus on increasing confidence, courage and clarity through application of our unique processes. DEI resources and Appreciative Inquiry resources from the AI commons are highlighted.

Additionally, the course is designed as project-based learning, so plan on your expertise and project thriving with up to 3 hours of asynchronous group work between each 2 hour webinar. This asynchronous work is required course work as learning application happens in this space. Total time on the course to meet the intended learning outcomes: 15 hours.

Strategic Conversations Bootcamp – Two 2.5-Hour Virtual Sessions

Event Schedule:

DAY 1

DAY 2

TUESDAY
October 11, 2022
6am-8:30am PDT / 9am-11:30am EDT

THURSDAY
October 13, 2022
6am-8:30am PDT / 9am-11:30am EDT

Please note: ALL virtual sessions will be recorded and saved for participants who are unable to attend a scheduled webinar. Links to the recordings will be provided so that participants can view/listen to the recording at a time that works best for them.

Strategic Conversations Bootcamp Overview:

A lack of strategic thinking and planning in organizations is costly. The greatest expense is the investment of time and resources into activities that do not support company goals or the mission. In addition, employees show up, do their work, and go home. This results in missed opportunities. Without a context for their work, employees are not inspired to think or plan creatively about process improvement, innovation, or cost savings. And anyone who has tried knows, it can be a struggle to get teams to buy-in to strategic goals, much less think and work in alignment with those goals.

Developing your leadership ability for strategic thinking and planning, coupled with the skills to engage in strategic conversations significantly improves your value as a leader. The days of hiring an outside agency to create a strategic plan for your organization are over; so too should be strategic plans developed at the top and handed down for others to implement. Organizations poised for growth and success have leaders who are adopting strategic thinking as an on-going way of doing business and strategic planning that engages employees across the whole organization as well as external stakeholders. They engage everyone in developing agile plans, cycles of experimentation and learning, innovation, and measuring actions against relevant metrics.

COURSE OUTCOMES:
This training will prepare you to engage your teams in strategic conversations that can:

• Increase productivity, engagements, and organizational effectiveness;
• Reduce costs, misalignment, and conflicts;
• Improve customer service levels;
• Innovate in the face of challenges; and
• Make a positive contribution to the bottom line.

Using two very powerful methodologies (SOAR and the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle), you will have the tools to engage teams from a whole system perspective in conversations to:

• Address short- and long-term challenges, systems, and innovation;
• Explore strengths, dynamic capabilities, and opportunities;
• Develop or re-evaluate organization’s values, vision, and mission statements;
• Set goals, objectives, strategies, and action plans;
• Clarify roles, relationships, and expectations; and
• Track progress through regular cycles of action learning.

This bootcamp will support your capacity and develop capabilities to have strategic conversations at the level of the individual, team, division, and the whole organization or community.

Course Modules:

MODULE 1: VALUING STRATEGIC THINKING

PURPOSE: Appreciate the value of strategic thinking and adopt an appreciative framework for strategic conversations.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Understand the importance of strategic conversations and the role generative questions and positive framing play.
  • Adopt an AI framework for strategic thinking.
  • Recognize the 3 key factors of strategic conversations and the basic principles for leading them.
  • Practice framing and asking generative questions for simple strategic conversations.
MODULE 2: FOSTERING SOAR CONVERSATIONS

PURPOSE: Learn how to use SOAR to frame strategic conversations.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Understand the SOAR Framework for strategic thinking.
  • Experience SOAR as a positive approach for strategic conversations.
  • Practice positive framing and generative questions using SOAR at various levels in the organization.
    MODULE 3: THE AI 5-D CYCLE

    PURPOSE: Entertain strategic conversations at scale, e.g., strategic planning or whole system change, using the AI 5-D Cycle.

    OBJECTIVES    :

    • Learn how you engage whole systems in strategic conversations.
    • Use the two AI practices – positive framing and generative questions – to frame a topic and craft an inquiry.
    • Identify opportunities to facilitate whole system conversations.
    MODULE 4: STRATEGIC AREA FOR APPLICATION

    PURPOSE: Build capacity for practical application of SOAR and the AI 5-D Cycle.

    OBJECTIVES:

    • Deepen your capacity to foster strategic conversations.
    • Design and share a prototype for a strategic conversation.
    • Practice giving and receiving feedforward.

    Method of Delivery:

    These live events will be delivered and recorded using Zoom. You can participate in these live events using any device: computer, tablet, or mobile. Please participate using the dial-in method you feel most comfortable with. You will receive the meeting login information from your trainers in two separate emails. First email will be sent two weeks prior to the event; the second to be sent the day before the bootcamp.

    Conversations Worth Having (CWH) Bootcamps are Co-Sponsored by:

     

     

     

     

    Conversation Bootcamp – Two 2.5-Hour Virtual Sessions

    EVENT SCHEDULE:

    DAY 1

    DAY 2

    TUESDAY
    October 4, 2022
    6am-8:30am PDT / 9am-11:30am EDT

    THURSDAY
    October 6, 2022
    6am-8:30am PDT / 9am-11:30am EDT

    Please note: ALL virtual sessions will be recorded and saved for participants who are unable to attend a scheduled webinar. Links to the recordings will be provided so that participants can view/listen to the recording at a time that works best for them.

    CONVERSATION BOOTCAMP OVERVIEW:

    Conversations are at the heart of everything we do. They are key to effective communications, leadership, high performing teams, and strong relationships. We all know that they influence us, but we rarely stop to think about how much they affect our well-being and others as well as the health of our organizations and communities. Our conversations directly influence our present moment and possible futures. Are you engaging in Conversations Worth Having?

    Communication. It remains the top issue for organizations, teams, and relationships. Almost everyone struggles with how to effectively communicate when they are frustrated or facing conflict. The effects of poor communication are costly. They show up in organizations as:

    • Employee disengagement, malaise, and turnover;
    • Dysfunctional teams;
    • Poor performance;
    • Inability to give and receive critical feedback; and
    • Negative attitudes, cliques, and gossip: a culture of “me”.

    If you’re dealing with any of these outcomes, the Conversations Worth Having Bootcamp will give you the skills and tools to turn them around. This program is grounded in Appreciative Inquiry, one of the most widely used positive change approaches. Two simple Appreciative Inquiry practices can turn your entire culture around, creating a culture of conversations worth having.

    Following this workshop, you will have tools to establish communication practices that will support productivity, engagement, high performance teams, regular feedback, positivity, and a culture of “we.”

    COURSE OUTCOMES:

    You will walk away prepared to:

    • Keep your cool when you want to explode!
    • Effectively challenge assumptions and preconceptions, including yours.
    • Deal with conflict quickly and effectively.
    • Fuel productive and meaningful engagement.
    • Communicate successfully with people who hold negative attitudes or defensive positions.
    • Give and receive critical feedback in ways that promote learning and high performance.
    • Ask the kind of questions that deepen understanding, strengthen connections, and inspire possibility.
    • Talk with colleagues in ways that invite them to collaborate on projects and strategic outcomes.
    • Listen with genuine curiosity.
    • Frame any conversation, even one around a highly complex problem, to inspire creative and innovative thinking and solutions.

    Course Modules:

    MODULE 1: THE POWER OF CONVERSATIONS

    PURPOSE: Understand the nature of our conversations, how they affect human being and doing, and enhance your ability to choose conversations worth having.

    OBJECTIVES    :

    • Understand the neuroscience of conversation.
    • Experiences the power of conversation.
    • Practice priming the body-mindset for conversations worth having.
    MODULE 2: ASK GENERATIVE QUESTIONS

    PURPOSE: Understand the nature of our conversations, the basics of Appreciative Inquiry, and improve your ability to ask generative questions to foster effective communication.

    OBJECTIVES    :

    • Experience the nature of our conversations and the effect on you and others.
    • Recognize a generative question and how it influences possibility.
    • Use generative questions to shift the dynamics of personal and workplace communication problems.
    MODULE 3: CREATE A POSITIVE FRAME

    PURPOSE: Intentionally foster effective communication using positive framing and continue to develop your ability to ask generative questions.

    OBJECTIVES:

    • Experience flipping negative conversations to conversations worth having.
    • Use flipping to frame problems and issues.
    • Develop generative questions to fuel productive and meaningful engagement around workplace challenges.
    MODULE 4: FEEDBACK and FEEDFORWARD

    PURPOSE: Develop a growth mindset and understand and apply the two AI practices to give and receive feedback and feedforward.

    OBJECTIVES:

    • Adopt a growth mindset to support openness and interest in regular feedback.
    • Understand the difference between feedback and feedforward.
    • Practice giving and receiving feedforward.

    Method of Delivery:

    These live events will be delivered and recorded using Zoom. You can participate in these live events using any device: computer, tablet, or mobile. Please participate using the dial-in method you feel most comfortable with. You will receive the meeting login information from your trainers in two separate emails. First email will be sent two weeks prior to the event; the second to be sent the day before the bootcamp.

    Conversations Worth Having (CWH) Bootcamps are Co-Sponsored by:

     

     

     

     

    Conversations Worth Having (CWH) – Trainer Certification

    EVENT SCHEDULE:

    DAY 1

    DAY 2

    DAY 3

    THURSDAY
    September 8, 2022
    11am-5pm EDT

    FRIDAY
    September 9, 2022
    11am-5pm EDT

    SATURDAY
    September 10, 2022
    11am-1pm EDT

    Please note: the event times listed above are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

    PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

    Communication remains one of the top issues for employees in most organizations. Conversations Worth Having (CWH) certification gives you the ability to positively affect people’s lives by significantly improving communication within organizations. As a CWH trainer, you will have the tools and skills to offer both virtual and on-site Conversation Bootcamp trainings. The certification program is designed to ensure that as a trainer, you will be confident and effective. Trainers must complete the 2-day Conversation Bootcamp on Conversations Worth Having and Strategic Conversations prior to attending the 2.5-day CWH training for trainers.

    This certification is an intensive, experiential learning opportunity that combines the theory, practice, and research of Appreciative Inquiry, positive psychology, and neuroscience to support the kind of communication that fuels productivity and meaningful engagement any time, any where, and in any situation.  Certification requires successful completion of the 2.5-day CWH training for trainers’ program, an online final evaluation process, and acceptance of a professional project.

    COURSE OUTCOMES:

    • Develop practical instructional design skills and confidence plus the critical skills to facilitate learning and ensure retention.
    • Use the training slides, manuals, and other materials to enhance the learning experience for participants.
    • Become effective at facilitating and using case studies, activities, exercises, videos, and slides to support participant learning.
    • Design workshops and/or integrate the bootcamp materials into your current work.
    • Develop skills at having conversations that help yourself and others thrive and create environments that impact well-being.
    • Improve your skills at turning conflict and problems into conversations worth having.

    TRAINING PACKAGE:

    Certified trainers will have everything they need to begin to implement Conversation Bootcamps and teach Conversations Worth Having. Trainers may list their profile on the Conversations Worth Having Training website. They will also have on-line access to the latest training materials. These materials include:

    • Manuals for the Conversations Bootcamp and Strategic Conversations Bootcamp
    • Training PowerPoint slides and example detailed agendas
    • Facilitator/Trainer Skills Workbook and PowerPoint slides
    • Case studies, stories, journal articles, video clips, and activities
    • Deck of generative question cards (in development)
    • Marketing materials
    • Participation in CWHConnect called and retreats (a community of practice for trainers)
    • Ability to co-brand materials and co-create other produces with the CWH community

    In addition, certified trainers will receive their SOAR profile. This profile helps you understand your natural capacity for strategic thinking, planning, and leading.

    CERTIFICATION COURSE DESIGNED FOR:

    Our goal is to certify practitioners, trainers, and leaders driving positive change within organizations and communities, with teams, and with individuals. This includes:

    • Managers and leaders
    • Training and development practitioners
    • Human resource professionals
    • Organization development professionals
    • Talent management practitioners
    • Coaches
    • Internal and external consultants
    • Teachers, school counselors, and principals

    COURSE PREREQUISITE:

    Conversation Bootcamps 1 and 2: Conversations Worth Having and Strategic Conversations

    CONVERSATIONS WORTH HAVING TRAINER CERTIFICATION:

    Two and one half day training includes one year of on-line access to the latest training materials, Trainer Workbook, listing on our website, and quarterly CWH trainer calls. Additional coaching is available.

    METHOD OF DELIVERY:

    These live events will be delivered and recorded using Zoom. You can participate in these live events using any device: computer, tablet, or mobile. Please participate using the dial-in method you feel most comfortable with. You will receive the meeting login information from your trainers in two separate emails. First email will be sent two weeks prior to the event; the second to be sent the day before the bootcamp.

    Conversations Worth Having (CWH) Bootcamps are Co-Sponsored by:

     

     

     

     

    Monday Kickstarters: Holiday Series

    SCHEDULE:

    Dates: Monday, December 5th and Monday, December 12th, 2022
    Time: 12:30-1:00pm Eastern Time (9:30-10:00am Pacific Time)

    This 2-week Zoom series serve as an opportunity for you to practice generative questions and positive framing on issues and concerns you are currently experiencing. You do not need to attend both sessions to benefit from this virtual series. Please feel free to pop in and out of these sessions as necessary. We encourage you to invite your friends, families, and colleagues who may benefit from these sessions – all are welcome to participate. You only need to register once to participate in this series.

    EVENT DESCRIPTION:

    We are living in challenging times, many of us juggle stress, concerns, and challenges daily. We can move forward in ways that offer renewal, reinvention, and resiliency simply by changing our conversations.

    The nature of our conversation is fateful. The way we think and talk about any given situation determines whether we feel energized and good about it, or drained and exhausted. Grounded in our book, Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement, we will be working with whoever is on the call to transform negative, problematic, and stressful interactions they share into life-giving and generative conversations. You’ll have the opportunity to practice asking generative questions to change the way you think about things, interact with others, and create a possibility mindset by talking about what you want instead of what you don’t want. The two practices—generative questions and positive framing–allow you to address even the most challenging problems with creativity and energy.

    LEARNING OUTCOMES:

    You will walk away prepared to:

    • Shift your mindset to foster resilience and positivity
    • Fuel productive and meaningful engagement
    • Communicate effectively with colleagues, constituents, and family
    • Ask questions that communicate care and deepen connection
    • Frame complex problems to inspire creativity and innovative solutions.

    EVENT VIDEOS AND MATERIALS:

    To prepare for these live conversations, please view this 3-minute Instructional Video, which provides an overview and instructions for the Kickstarters sessions. We also encourage you to download our free resources:

    Conversation toolkit

    Two Practices toolkit

    Preface and Introduction to Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement

    METHOD OF DELIVERY:

    These live events will be delivered using Zoom. You can participate in these live events using any device: computer, tablet, or mobile.

    You will receive the Zoom login information upon registration. If you have any questions about this event or have difficulty connecting in Zoom, please contact Kelly Stewart at kelly@thepositivebusiness.com.

    This free event is open to everyone, however due to Zoom limitations, only the first 100 participants to log on will be able to participate in each of the live scheduled webinars. We encourage participants to log onto Zoom early to secure their seat.

    CONTINUED LEARNING AND PRACTICE:

    If you wish to continue learning about Conversations Worth Having, we invite you to join us for the virtual Conversations Worth Having Bootcamps.

    EVENT IS OFFERED IN COLLABORATION WITH:

    Monday Kickstarters: Turn Stress & Challenges into Conversations Worth Having

    SCHEDULE:

    Dates: Every Monday (September 12 – October 3, 2022)
    Time: 12:30-1:00pm Eastern Time (9:30-10:00am Pacific Time)

    Turn stress and challenges into conversations worth having. These 4-weekly Zoom sessions serve as an opportunity for you to practice generative questions and positive framing on issues and concerns you are currently experiencing. You do not need to attend all 4 sessions to benefit from this virtual series. Please feel free to show up when you can. We encourage you to invite your friends, families, and colleagues who may benefit – all are welcome to participate. You only need to register once to participate in the four (4) weekly sessions.

    EVENT DESCRIPTION:

    We are living in challenging times, many of us juggle stress, concerns, and challenges daily. We can move forward in ways that offer renewal, reinvention, and resiliency simply by changing our conversations.

    The nature of our conversation is fateful. The way we think and talk about any given situation determines whether we feel energized and good about it, or drained and exhausted. Grounded in our book, Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement, we will be working with whoever is on the call to transform negative, problematic, and stressful interactions they share into life-giving and generative conversations. You’ll have the opportunity to practice asking generative questions to change the way you think about things, interact with others, and create a possibility mindset by talking about what you want instead of what you don’t want. The two practices—generative questions and positive framing–allow you to address even the most challenging problems with creativity and energy.

    LEARNING OUTCOMES:

    You will walk away prepared to:

    • Shift your mindset to foster resilience and positivity
    • Fuel productive and meaningful engagement
    • Communicate effectively with colleagues, constituents, and family
    • Ask questions that communicate care and deepen connection
    • Frame complex problems to inspire creativity and innovative solutions

    EVENT VIDEOS AND MATERIALS:

    To prepare for these live conversations, please view this 3-minute Instructional Video, which provides an overview and instructions for the Kickstarters sessions. We also encourage you to download our free resources:

    Conversation toolkit

    Two Practices toolkit

    Preface and Introduction to Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement

    METHOD OF DELIVERY:

    These live events will be delivered using Zoom. You can participate in these live events using any device: computer, tablet, or mobile.

    You will receive the Zoom login information upon registration. If you have any questions about this event or have difficulty connecting in Zoom, please contact Kelly Stewart at kelly@thepositivebusiness.com.

    This free event is open to everyone, however due to Zoom limitations, only the first 100 participants to log on will be able to participate in each of the live scheduled webinars. We encourage participants to log onto Zoom early to secure their seat.

    CONTINUED LEARNING AND PRACTICE:

    If you wish to continue learning about Conversations Worth Having, we invite you to join us for the virtual Conversations Worth Having Bootcamps.

    EVENT IS OFFERED IN COLLABORATION WITH:

    Virtual Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (vAIFT)

    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 Overivew

    The Virtual Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (vAIFT)© Accelerated is a four-day 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 Tuesday, October 25th 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 November 1, 2022.

    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 4-days. Below are the hours for live interaction and collaboration with your vAIFT trainers and cohorts:

    DAY 1

    DAY 2

    DAY 3

    DAY 4

    TUESDAY
    November 1, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am PDT
    and
    1:00pm-3:00pm PDT

    WEDNESDAY
    November 2, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am PDT
    and
    1:00pm-3:00pm PDT

    THURSDAY
    November 3, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am PDT
    and
    1:00pm-3:00pm PDT

    FRIDAY
    November 4, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am PDT
    and
    1:00pm-3:00pm PDT

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

    The ASYNCHRONOUS portion of your training begins:

    • Tuesday, October 25, 2022 with introductory activities and runs throughout the 4 days of synchronous learning. You will receive login information to the Center for Appreciative Inquiry’s (CAI) online learning platform in a confirmation email after registering for the course.
    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.

    Privacy Policy

    Company of Experts.net does not sell nor share information gathered at its Web Site to any third party outside of the provider network to which it belongs. By using this Site, or by joining our e-mail distribution list, you are not identifying nor disclosing your affiliation with us, our partners, or anyone. For more information about our Privacy Policy, click here.

    Terms and Conditions

    PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE. All users of this site agree that access to and use of this site are subject to the following terms and conditions and other applicable law. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please do not use this site. To read the complete list of Company of Experts’ terms and conditions, please click here.

    Virtual Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (vAIFT)

    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 Overivew

    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 Tuesday, August 16th 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 August 22, 2022.

    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
    August 22, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

    TUESDAY
    August 23, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

    WEDNESDAY
    August 24, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

    THURSDAY
    August 25, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

    WEEK 2:

    MONDAY
    August 29, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

    TUESDAY
    August 30, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

    WEDNESDAY
    August 31, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

    THURSDAY
    September 1, 2022
    9:00am-11:00am (PDT)

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

    The ASYNCHRONOUS portion of your training begins:

    • Tuesday, August 16, 2022 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.

    Privacy Policy

    Company of Experts.net does not sell nor share information gathered at its Web Site to any third party outside of the provider network to which it belongs. By using this Site, or by joining our e-mail distribution list, you are not identifying nor disclosing your affiliation with us, our partners, or anyone. For more information about our Privacy Policy, click here.

    Terms and Conditions

    PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE. All users of this site agree that access to and use of this site are subject to the following terms and conditions and other applicable law. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please do not use this site. To read the complete list of Company of Experts’ terms and conditions, please click here.