Appreciative Inquiry & Common Tables

We at Common Tables have been working to develop an optional dialogue track for our Tables . . . a track based on "Appreciative Inquiry" - an exciting dialogue based system for creating positive change. In Common Tables we will be suggesting Appreciative Inquiry as an approach to encourage our members to study, discuss, learn from and build on what's working in interfaith relations, rather than simply trying to fix what isn't.

In today's entry we begin a weekly discussion about Appreciative Inquiry - what is it? why is it producing such extraordinary results across such a broad spectrum of organizations? and how do we see it being implemented in Common Tables?

We are going to start this week by taking a look at the first two of the "Eight Principals of Appreciative Inquiry". This material is from the wonderful book The Power of Appreciative Inquiry by Diana Whitney and, a special friend of Common Tables, Amanda Trosten-Bloom:

Principal Number 1: The Constructionist Principal - Words Creat Worlds

• Reality, as we know it, is a subjective vs. objective state.
• It is socially created, through language and conversations.

Principal Number 2: The Simultaniety Principle - Inquiry Creates Change

• Inquiry is intervention.
• The moment we ask a question, we begin to create a change.

We'll continue our look at Appreciative Inquiry over the coming weeks. It is a topic you'll find well worth your time to follow.