Appreciative Inquiry for leaders, coaches and consultants
“If you want to build a ship, then don’t drum up men to gather wood, give orders, and divide the work. Rather, teach them to yearn for the far and endless sea.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This in-depth course has been developed to help you understand and be successful in deploying the philosophy and methodology of Appreciative Inquiry, when leading, coaching and consulting others for generative and lasting change.
Drawing on leading-edge materials and over 25 years’ experience of using AI around the world, it has been curated to build your skills and confidence.
You can use it as an independent toolkit for development, and resources to inspire your own practice. Or you may choose to bring it alongside a coaching process with one of our AI specialists, as we guide you, and perhaps your team, through your first AI projects, where we will:
- pay attention to the rigour and quality of your thinking,
- use our experience to guide you as you experiment with the different practices,
- develop your confidence, learning and ability to apply AI to your work.
Programme contents
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Appreciative Inquiry – programme contents
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Choosing generative change – why and how do strength-based interventions work?
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Choosing intentional inquiry – opening up the space for discovery
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Choosing what you pay attention to – coming at things from the other side
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Choosing the building blocks of your practice – introducing the 5D structure
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Orienting to personal strengths – develop your appreciative eye
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Orienting to strengths as a team – develop your collective appreciative eyes
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Working live – simultaneity, inquiry and learning forward (draft)
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Generative metaphor and the anticipatory principle (draft)
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The role of positive emotion in building resilience and innovative capacity (draft)
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Amplification, stories, copying and positive deviancy in change (draft)
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Dialogue and generativity (draft)
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Understanding generative change (draft)
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Hosting, convening and facilitating
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Develop your generative presence to be at your best
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Flow – the experience of full presence with others (draft)
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Definition – the gentle art of reframing (draft)
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The gift of skilful listening
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The art of the question
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Discovery – reveal what enables success (draft)
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Working with stories (draft)
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Sensing and filtering signals of change
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Dream – co-create generative images of possibility (draft)
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Mastering a broad range of interventions
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Knowledge, learning and expressive inquiry (draft)
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Design – prototype change and innovate (draft)
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Rethinking organisations for adaptability and antifragility
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Rapid prototyping and hackathon design for virtual and f2f groups
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Destiny – improvise, sustain and re-inquire (draft)
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Adaptive and dialogic leadership – developing your improvisation skills
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AI Case Story and resources – 2020 Equity Summit – Portland State University (draft)
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Virtual Peer Support Groups – options
This programme offers
Work through it in your own way - binge or nibble?
Our courses are ideally suited to both - you are in control and you can work in the way you want, at the time you want.
Whatever your preference is, you are advised to book time in your diary, to ensure you get into a learning habit.
Different types of media to suit all needs
Plus there are downloadable handouts, worksheets, templates and checklists to print and take away, and keep for future reference.
Be part of a learning community and/or get specialist coaching
Many of our 'open' programmes can also be supported by 1:1 coaching with one of our deeply experienced consultants and supervisors, or through PSG's (peer support and learning groups) which we assemble, bringing together people just like you, to coach each other, with our facilitation and input.
Just get in contact if you would like to discuss any of these options.
If you would like to find out more about this programme, get more detail on the content, or discuss a support structure, send us a message!
Frequently asked questions
How long can I access a programme or course?
Your programme, course or module will be accessible to you for 1 year from the time you start it.
However in each lesson there are also PDFs, tools, products and exercises, that we think you will want to keep – you can download them, or print them.
What if I fall behind and out of step with the programme timing?
All significant learning commitments require some dedication. This means making conscious choices, and carving out the time to acquire, experiment with, and reflect on what you are exploring. Sometimes, this is going to clash with other priorities and occasionally it might feel a little overwhelming – even for the most dedicated learner. If you know that a busy period is coming up, plan for catch-up time in the weeks that follow.
Some of our longer programmes involve following a specific timetable with a group – with new modules ‘starting’ at a given time. This may tie in with Peer Support Group meetings, and/or with workshops or webinars. If this is the case for your programme, an important aspect is that you are not alone – but in a community of learners. The timings of ‘live’ experiences or group meetings are rarely changed once the programme starts, as this would impact negatively on your colleagues and co-learners. Keeping up with others, so that you share your learning and benefit from their experience, is important.
Get into the learning habit, and if you have concerns about whether you will be able to do this, and if you fall behind at any time, just reach out to us and we will try to help.
Can I bundle one course or programme with another and save money?
Some of our courses are already bundled, in particular the shorter courses shown in our ‘bitesize’ section. If the course you are interested in IS available in a value-for-money bundle, proceed with your purchase, and before closing the ‘sale’, you will be notified of this choices at your ‘Cart’.
If the other courses you are interested in are not bundled right now, just contact us, as we can put a custom bundle together for you.
Can I commission custom courses for my organisation?
Many of our programmes and short (bite-size) courses have been originally developed especially for a client – and, where appropriate, then adapted for a broader audience and turned into an ‘open’ programme. It is our clients around the world that ‘pull’ new content and commission what we go on to build, to meet their needs at any given time.
If you would like to either curate a custom programme from our existing stock, or you have an area of new content that you would like us to look at, just contact us and we can help.
What if I'm not satisfied with my purchase?
Our courses and materials are getting great feedback from users – but of course it might not suit exactly what you are looking for.
We are always happy to refund you if you start a course and find it isn’t what you wanted. Please contact us straight after completing the first lesson in the course if you would like us to refund your payment or switch you to a more suitable product.
Please note that we are unable to refund a course that has been more than 50% completed.