February 2006
Issue: Lessons Learned from Living from the Heart of Appreciative
Inquiry
Introduction: Lessons
Learned from Living from the Heart of Appreciative Inquiry
by Ilene Wasserman
Since people started
learning and applying the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, many of
us have shared stories with each other about how AI is
more than a tool: it is a way of being and an orientation toward
living. Now read on.....! (Free
download in Acrobat format)
Walking the Talk: The Principles of AI in Daily Living by Jackie Kelm
In this article, Jackie Kelm presents a
simple model she created to help apply Appreciative
Inquiry in daily living. The model is based on the underlying
principles of AI as they
apply at the individual level.
Judging a Book by
its Cover? Re-Designing Our Perceptions
of Ourselves and Others from an Appreciative Perspective
by Susan Belgard
“Words Create Worlds”, the Constructionist
Principle, plays a crucial role in interpersonal and intrapersonal
relationships. This article reflects on the similarity between our
“inner critic” and automatic inner dialogue about strangers and new
acquaintances. It offers some suggestions about removing harsh
judgments and recasting self- and other-directed negativity in more
positive terms.
Can I “Be” AI and Still Feel Pain?
by Joan Colleran Hoxsey
This article focuses on using AI in
a complex work situation as well as in a family crisis. While
initially not an enthusiast of AI, Joan Colleran Hoxsey found herself
drawn to it when she needed a way for people who had polarized to
discover their many strengths and pull together as a group. AI also
helped her and her husband to create positive meaning out of their
experience of facing a painful personal tragedy.
Appreciative Parenting:
Immediate Impact and Long-term Intent of an Appreciative Conversation
with a Child
by Dawn Dole
Parenting is the most important job
we have today. We are raising the next generation to become
independent, capable, caring human beings. Through appreciative
dialogue with other parents we gain confidence, insight and energy.
Through appreciative conversations with our children we help them
learn and grow along with us. It is the power of the appreciative
questions and dialogue that will change the world.
Being a New Mother as my
Metaphor for Nurturing Lifegiving Forces in my Work
by Morgan Zantua
When Morgan Zantua became a mother even though she thought she was
menopausal, she
started looking at the world through the eyes of her child as well as
being ‘childlike’ herself in her work of creating a more peaceful
world. These are her reflections.
Strengthening
Boundaries And Connections As A Parent Of
Teenagers
by Ilene Wasserman
This article summarizes some of what Ilene Wasserman
has learned from her own
experiences and from facilitated conversations with other teens and
parents. In the first part of the article, she highlights the
principles that help her feel increasingly comfortable with her
teenagers’ autonomy and independence. In the second part of the
article, she sets out the themes and patterns emerging from
facilitated discussions with other parents and teenagers on the best
of boundaries and connections in teen-parent relationships.
Learning To Live AI In
Our Relationships While Writing a Book about Living Relationally
by Cheri Torres and Jackie Stavros
As Cheri Torres and Jackie Stavros co-authored their new book, they
discovered new ways
of understanding what they thought they knew about dynamic
relationships. Living
relationally meant not only working that way with each other, but also
with the publisher after submitting what they thought was an
all-but-final draft.
A Passionate Presence –
Appreciating Person Centred
Connections
by Julie Barnes
Appreciative Inquiry and person
centred practice, based on the work of Carl Rogers, both offer
powerful ways of living, being and working through meaningful
relationship and connection. This article celebrates and reflects on
their separate and combined impact in the life and work of the author.
Living Our Destiny: One Group's Story of
Forming and
Living Appreciative Practice
by Amy Steffen, Lonnie Weiss, Nancy Aronson and Ferne Kuhn
The Broccoli Alliance (BA) is a vibrant
professional group focused on the practice of AI. Infused with
personal quotes and stories, this article describes how a 4D inquiry
catalyzed the group to live their positive core. Design choices and
ritual practices contribute to succeeding so splendidly in the Destiny
phase of AI.