Intro to Appreciative Inquiry: A Beginner’s Guide to Strength-Focused Change (In Person)

Discover the power of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a transformative approach to creating positive change in individuals, teams, and organizations. This beginner-friendly course introduces you to the core principles of Appreciative Inquiry and its proven ability to unlock potential by focusing on strengths, successes, and possibilities rather than problems.

Through engaging discussions and practical activities, you will learn about the 5-D cycle (Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Destiny) as a framework to foster meaningful, strength-based organizational change. By identifying and leveraging individual and collective strengths, you’ll explore ways to promote growth, innovation, and collaboration.

Whether you’re a team leader, facilitator, or someone looking to inspire positive progress in your workplace or community, this course equips you with tools to:

• Facilitate collaborative discussions that align teams around shared visions and goals.
• Create an environment where strengths are recognized, valued, and utilized to drive success.
• Build momentum for lasting change through appreciation, strengths-focused strategies.

No prior experience is required—just a curiosity to shift the focus from “what’s broken” to “what’s possible.”

What You Will Learn:

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the core principles of Appreciative Inquiry and its role in fostering positive change.
• Apply the 5-D cycle to drive meaningful, strength-based organizational change.
• Identify and leverage strengths to promote individual and organizational growth.
• Facilitate collaborative discussions to align teams around shared visions and goals.

Format:

This workshop will be offered in a learning space at Champlain College. It will involve delivered content as well as opportunities for interaction and practice. One 30-minute break is built in, and coffee and lunch are provided. Participants will go home with a short workbook of Appreciative Inquiry Activities they can use to further practice their skills beyond the workshop