3 Two Simple Appreciative Practices

Creating a positive future begins in human conversation. The simplest and most powerful investment any member of a community or an organization can make is to begin with other people as though the answers mattered.

– William Greider

We saw in chapter 1 how Alisha at the medical center changed the direction and tone of her conversations simply by varying her frame of reference and asking a question that altered everything. Her frame shifted from employees as problems to employee ideas and actions as possibilities. From this new frame of reference, a different set of questions emerged, inspiring solutions and more effective interactions than previous critical conversations. These questions helped her staff focus on what was working and what could be working better. The answers enabled them to replicate success and create new possibilities.

Likewise, Kamal and Mary at the bank intentionally framed their first meeting with Elizabeth to set the stage for appreciative tone and positive direction. Inviting her to share her best experiences about what gives life to the bank and the community resulted in a conversation worth having.

The two practices Alisha, Kamal, and Mary applied were the Appreciative Inquiry practices of positive framing and generative questions. It can be difficult to separate these practices in action, because they weave together to create conversations worth having. Nonetheless, they are in fact distinct. It is worth understanding how each is practiced and contributes to productive and meaningful interactions. Each practice can alter the tone and direction of any conversation. You can begin with positive framing and then ask generative questions, or you can start with a generative question that naturally creates a positive frame, or you can ask a generative question in the midst of a negative interaction to turn that conversation around.