The document outlines an seminar that uses Appreciative Inquiry to help professionals reflect on their personal and professional journeys. The seminar aims to provide hands-on experience with two AI tools: discovering the best of what is through appreciative interviews, and dreaming what might be through envisioning a future perfect scenario. The document discusses trends like isolation and stress that people suffer from, and what anchors people like relationships, values and purpose. It introduces Appreciative Inquiry as a strengths-based approach focused on possibilities rather than problems.

1. C.A.R.E.: CREATING A
REJUVENATING ENVIRONMENT
FOR HELPING PROFESSIONALS
Social Service Training Institute
23 June 2010
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

2. KEY
OBJECTIVES
To offer seminar participants an
opportunity to:
reflect on their personal and
professional journeys
re-order their inner world with a
clearer awareness of their available
mental, emotional and spiritual
resources, using Appreciative Inquiry
as a strengths-based process
To provide participants with hands-on
experience using 2 AI tools
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

3. HAVE A
CHAT
What are the dominant ideas that are driving people’s
behaviours these days?
What buzzwords are in the media these days?
How are they spending their money and time? With
whom? On what?
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

4. PRESENT & GROWING
TRENDS
Awash in images and information
Dominant consumerist worldview
Connections rather than
Connectedness
Easier and easier to dehumanise
people and situations
Having to do More with Less
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

5. WHAT DO PEOPLE
SUFFER FROM?
Isolation
Dissonance
Stress
Burnout
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

6. WHAT
ANCHORS PEOPLE?
Love and friendship: Strong
relationships
Values: Moral philosophies and life-
codes
Clarity of individual Purpose &
Meaning
Positive Self-Awareness: An
Inventory of Individual Strengths,
Gifts and Talents
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

7. APPRECIATIVE IN ? UIRY

8. WHAT IS
APPRECIATIVE IN ? UIRY?
To appreciate:
To identify what is of worth and value
To inquire:
To discover through the use of questions
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

9. WHAT IS
APPRECIATIVE IN ? UIRY?
Possibilities, rather than Problems
Strengths, rather than Weaknesses
Potential, rather than Gaps & Deficits
Positive Image creates and
sustains Positive Change
Vital Questions: “What is
working well or right here?”
“How can we amplify them?”
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

10. THE
APPRECIATIVE CYCLE
Affirmative
Topic - What do we
want to see more of?
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

11. APPRECIATIVE IN ? UIRY
David Cooperider and
Suresh Srivastva
Cleveland Clinic
A Philosophy of Being
and Becoming
An Organisational
Development method
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

12. EMERGING
RESEARCH
Positive Psychology -
Martin Seligman’s
Learned Optimism
The Pygmalion Effect -
Rosenthal-Jacobson
studies (1968/1992)
The Placebo Effect
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

13. KEY
ELEMENTS
Inquiring into what is possible should:
celebrate the exceptional
create contextually-applicable
knowledge and plans
provoke action
trigger collaboration
be based on positive questions asked
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

14. FIVE
PRINCIPLES
The Constructionist Principle
The Poetic Principle
The Simultaneity Principle
The Anticipatory Principle
The Positive Principle
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

15. APPRECIATIVE IN ? UIRY

16. THE
APPRECIATIVE CYCLE
Affirmative
Topic - What do we
want to see more of?
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

17. DISCOVERING THE BEST OF WHAT IS
THE FIRST TOOL
The Appreciative Interview to Discover the Best of What Is
Pair up with someone that you do NOT know in the room
and interview this person for 15 minutes.
Then let him or her interview you for another 15 minutes.
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

18. DREAMING WHAT MIGHT BE
THE SECOND TOOL
Imagine you are in Future
Perfect: everything you’ve
ever wanted for yourself
professionally is in place.
Describe to yourself, your
Future Perfect situation as
detailed as you can.
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

19. DREAMING WHAT MIGHT BE
THE SECOND TOOL
What is different?
What is the situation? What are you doing? With? For?
How do you feel?
Who else notices that something is different? (ie. your
peers/co-workers, boss, friends, family, community, direct
reports etc.)
What are they noticing about you? About your work?
How are they responding? What else are they noticing?
Who else is noticing? What are they noticing? What else?
REPEAT at least 3 times until you have a rich
picture of what is different, how and for whom.
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

20. REVIEWING OUR
TIME TOGETHER
What stood out for you?
How did the experiences and
conversations of the last 3 hours make
you feel?
What new insights do you have?
What are your next steps?
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved

21. QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?
THOUGHTS? CONCERNS?
Email: noel@go-trailblazer.com
Mobile/SMS: 98002788
www.go-trailblazer.com
Noel E K Tan, 2010. All Rights Reserved