[Ailist] Meaning Making Exercise?

[Alice Macpherson]

Bill

I see "the point of meaning making" as the combination of theory and 
practice - praxis - and that it is the core of real AI. Until you/I/we 
embody the principles in a generative way, it remains theoretical.

I use this exercise for the Appreciative Inquiry module of our Personal 
Leadership program for employees at Kwantlen. 
These participants have written material for pre-reading and have been 
part of a cohort class meeting once a week over a semester when this 
session happens. This looks like basic AI but for the group it is a very 
intense and reflective exercise that asks them to make very personal 
meaning about themselves, their lives, and their place in the immediate 
world of work.

All the best / todo lo mejor

Alice Macpherson
PD & PLA Coordinator
The Centre for Academic Growth
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
http://kwantlen.ca/academicgrowth
604 599-3040

... de omni re scibili et quibusdam aliis
... of everything one can know and several other things

Overview of Appreciative Inquiry
Leadership interviews with partners - Appreciative Leadership key terms, 
such as: hope, community, change, inspiration, imagination, etc. each 
partner picks one word and interviews neighbour about a story connected to 
the word and how it was positive. 
Report and Debrief Participants report out comments that resonated. Record 
themes and life giving forces on flipchart. Create groups based on 
affinity to themes.
Acknowledge Constraints - move to another location ? What are some of the 
pressures and constraints that you face every day ? time, physical 
resources, skills, issues and conflicts, attitudinal barriers, resources ? 
human and material, collective agreements, etc? (Quick Brainstorm and 
flipchart)
Dream ? back into your groups and use the Themes and Patterns to create an 
image of a preferred future.
Share your group?s preferred future
Constraints and Their Absence ? ?Remember those constraints? Put them 
aside for a moment. Let's come together as a group and focus on imagining 
a future that we'll design together.? 
For a moment, suspend your disbelief and let?s create a future together. 
To do this, it's important that we put aside ? for a few moments ? all of 
the constraints that circumscribe what we do.  So for a moment, let's act 
as if we have no constraints. 
Design 1 ? Develop a Provocative Proposition that states what you want 
from your future in this system.
Design 2 ? Innovate and Improvise ways to Create that Future
What can your group do to create the future that you all envisioned in 
your Provocative Proposition? Record your small group?s Strategic 
Intentions (or Initiatives or Pilot Projects) on your flip chart
Design: Individual ? What parts of the dream do you personally want to 
bring to life?
Design: S  O  A  R & C  O  R  P
Delivery: Building an Appreciative Environment
Destiny: Evolve into the preferred image
Debrief




"Bill Scott" <wjs.consulting at shaw.ca> 
Sent by: ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
10/04/2008 04:08 PM

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[Ailist] Meaning Making Exercise?





Hello all,



I?m teaching a fourth year university level course that is focusing on the
use of appreciative process in groups and teams.



I want to do a segment on ?meaning making? and I was wondering if anyone 
had
developed an exercise that they are really fond of. I have the students do
appreciative interviews with one another and do thematic analysis of the
data that they have captured ? and of course, this includes meaning 
making.
But I?m wondering if anyone has developed a standalone exercise that
emphasizes the point of meaning making.



I?d appreciate any assistance you can provide.



Best regards,

Bill



WJS Consulting

Vancouver, B.C., Canada

wjs.consulting at shaw.ca



Engaging human potential




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