APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY INTERVIEW INSTRUCTIONS PURPOSE This interview is intended to give each individual time to reflect appreciatively on her

role in her organisation in the past, present and future. The information from the questions is used afterwards to assist with planning for the future. Time Required: 2 Hours Minimum of 45 minutes per person x 2 for the interview with time for collective reflection afterwards of at least one hour. Materials: Appreciative Inquiry Questionnaire, pen/pencil, something to write on lProcedure 1.Find an interview partner preferably someone who you do not know well or who is very different to you. 2.Find a quiet corner where you can sit comfortably without interruptions for 1 1/2 hours. 3.Agree on who will interview the other person first. lInterviewer 1.Ask each question in the order it is given on the questionnaire. Give the other person time to think deeply. Listen attentively. Do not interrupt. Do not tell your own stories your turn will come! Take brief notes in the space provided on the questionnaire so that there will be a record of the conversation for discussion afterwards. 1.Complete the whole questionnaire. 1.Thank the person who has shared. 1.Switch roles and complete the questionnaire from the beginning without interruption. lInterviewee 1.Listen to the questions carefully. Take time to think about your answers. Share what you feel comfortable sharing you do not have to say things that you do not want to talk about. 1.Enjoy the experience! 3. Thank the person who has interviewed you.

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY QUESTIONNAIRE APPRECIATING YOUR POTENTIAL When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. Patanjali DISCOVER The real act of discovery lies not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes Marcel Proust Highpoint experience Reflecting back over your life tell a story about a high point a time when you were most involved and creatively engaged. What made it a high point? What did you do that contributed to making it a high point experience? Who else was involved and what did they do?

Value of self Without being modest, what do you value most about yourself as a human being? As a member of your family? As a member of your community? At work?

Value of your life What is it about your life that you value the most?

Core factor that gives life Can you identify the core factor that gives life to your life? Without this, it would not be the same.

Macrotrends What global and local trends do you currently see impacting on your life that gives you hope for the future?

lDREAM Calling What is the world calling for from you? How can you best serve the community? Your organization?

Dream Close your eyes and imagine yourself five years from now. Extraordinary and wonderful things have happened Your life is just how you would dream it to be. Describe it. What are you doing? How do you contribute to the community? To your organization?

DESIGN What things must you do now to help achieve that dream?

BUILDING A SHARED VISION (Developing a collective sense of what is important and why) Many people think that creating a vision is the top leaders job. Individual leaders visions may succeed in carrying an organisation through a crisis but creating a long term sense of purpose that binds people together requires time and care. The discipline of building a vision is a never-ending process in which people talk about why their work matters and how it fits into the larger world. Building a shared vision is about developing guiding principles and a sense of shared purpose and has several components. Vision A vision is a picture of the future you seek to create, described in the present tense. It says where you want to go and what you will be like when you get there. Values Values describe how you intend to operate on a daily basis as you pursue your vision. They are best expressed in terms of desired behaviour. Purpose or Mission This represents the fundamental reason for the organisations existence. Goals Goals are milestones that you expect to reach in a reasonable length of time. They are specific and realisable. People can commit to meeting them and you know when they have been achieved. A Strategy For Building A Shared Vision Building a vision is a developmental process. An organisation can be at any stage and it helps to know which stage your own organisation is in. Telling The leader knows what the vision should be and everyone has to follow it. Selling The leader knows what the vision should be but needs people to buy in. Testing The leader has an idea but want to test reactions before proceeding. Consulting The leader wants creative input from the organisation about the vision. Co-creating The leaders and the members of the organisation build a shared vision collaboratively. Strategies for Success Inform people directly, clearly and consistently Tell the truth Keep communication open so that you can hear responses and concerns Treat everybody as equal Look for alignment rather than agreement Let people speak for themselves Encourage conversations about the vision

PLANNING GUIDE PARTICIPANTS: DATE: 1.INTENTION What is it we want to do? Why is it important? 1.DESIRED RESULTS What outcomes do we want? What are our criteria for success? 1.CONTEXT What is happening around us that made us decide to do something? What is happening that makes this vision important and urgent. Which factors will work against the effectiveness of this plan? Which factors will be helpful? Which factors will hinder? Which factors have the most impact on our goal? Which factors do we have the most control over? 1.STAKEHOLDERS Who is affected by our goals? What do they want? How can they help us? How much power do they have? How satisfied are they? 1.ASSUMPTIONS What are our assumptions about what we are planning to do? What do we believe to be true about what it is we are doing? 1.ACTION What must we do to achieve our desired results? (by whom? by when? how much money do we need?

AFTER ACTION REVIEWS (AAR) What is an AAR? A simple technique which enables individuals and teams to reflect and learn from the work that they do on a daily basis. When do you use an AAR? Immediately after an identifiable event when Memory is fresh Participants are still available Learning can be applied and shared immediately Which events should be followed by an AAR? Project activities Meetings Workshops Training Sessions Coaching Sessions Benefits of AARs The essence of learning and improving practice is the discovery and use of knowledge which emerges from peoples own experience When learning is built into ongoing work practices it builds greater capability It connects the world of thinking with the world of action When people work and think together it builds relationships and there is greater integration in the future It builds capacity to learn a way through difficult and complex situations as they arise Guidelines for Successful AAR Practice Localness Use the people that are responsible for the task and the results. Ensure that reviews are attached to core business goals. Forward Focus Spend as much time planning the next steps based on the lessons learned as you spend reflecting on and identifying the lessons. Iteration Encourage frequent reviews. Skill, confidence and trust in the process build over time.

AFTER ACTION REVIEW SHEET PARTICIPANTS:

EVENT REVIEWED: DATE: What was supposed to happen? (What were the objectives?)

What actually happened? (Establish the facts about what happened)

Why were there differences?

What worked? Why?

What didnt work? Why?

What have we learned?

What will we continue to do?

What will we do differently?

Action Plan What will we do next?