Jim Francek for The League of Women Voters September 9, 2012

 To introduce a model for positive change  To engage & expand the participants’ understanding of the current context in which LWV is operating,  To clarify the intention of this effort and it’s potential impact on the LWV  To introduce the principles of positive psychology as delineated by Appreciative Inquiry,  To facilitate a virtual dialogue that:  applies these principles to their work &  assists them in creating positive questions & conversations.

“We now live in an age of what Microsoft researcher, Linda Stone, calls continuous partial attention. I love that phrase. It means that while you are answering your and talking to your kid, your cell phone rings and you have a conversation. You are now involved in a continuous flow of interactions in which you can only partially concentrate on each.” “If being fulfilled is about committing yourself to someone else, or some experience, that requires a level of sustained attention,” said Ms. Stone. “And that is what we are losing the skills for, because we are constantly scanning the world for opportunities and we are constantly in fear of missing something better. That has become incredibly spiritually depleting.”

EMERGING FUTURE CONTEXT © AMCi, Capital Consultants LLC, & TAVA Full Circle, LLC All rights reserved What makes up the CONTEXT of the League today?

EMERGING FUTURE RESOURCES STORY POWER AGILITY INTENTION CONTEXT © AMCi, Capital Consultants LLC, & TAVA Full Circle, LLC All rights reserved

 Big challenges facing our democracy  Voters crave authentic solutions  League is needed now more than ever  League can have a huge impact on elections 2012 and beyond!  Appreciative Inquiry technique can and is making a difference.

 More reflective of our communities (younger, more diverse, etc)  More visible, more vibrant and welcoming,  More deeply connected with their communities  Increasing in members and volunteers  More leaders and more sharing of the work in teams  Flexible activities for people to engage in as their volunteer life permits

EMERGING FUTURE RESOURCES STORY POWER AGILITY INTENTION CONTEXT © AMCi, Capital Consultants LLC, & TAVA Full Circle, LLC All rights reserved

In reviewing over 30 years of psychological research, found there were 45,000 studies on depression and only 300 studies on joy M. Seligman, President APA University of Pennsylvania

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust

 Please respond to poll questions…

Change begins the moment we ask a question!

The art of being an effective coach is to engage others with the right positive questions at the right time !

14  To value…  To recognize the best in people or the world around us;  To affirm past and present strengths, successes, and potentials;  To perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems  To increase in value, e.g. the economy has appreciated in value

15  To explore and discover  To ask questions  To be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities Synonyms: discover, search, study

 Language shapes our reality!  We know things through language and conversations!  We live in the world our stories create!

Words create the framework for our lives!

DEFICIT APPROACH  What ’ s the biggest problem here?  What do you have to do to correct what’s not working?  Why do you miss the mark so often?  Why are these recurring problems?

DEFICIT APPROACHAFFIRMATIVE APPROACH  What ’ s the biggest problem here?  What do you have to do to correct what’s not working?  Why do you miss the mark so often?  Why are these recurring problems?  What possibilities exist that we have not thought about yet?  What ’ s the smallest change that could make the biggest impact?  What solutions would have us all win?  What makes our questions inspiring, energizing, and mobilizing?

 Inquiry and change are simultaneous!  Asking questions influences change!

 Questions direct our attention… which directs our experience!  What are the morale issues within the League? or  What excites you about your work in the League?

 Every moment is full of an infinite array of possibilities!  What we choose to notice becomes our experience!

If you want to build a ship don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work and give orders… Instead teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea! Expect to be inspired!

“When we seek to bring out the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves” William Arthur Ward

Powerful Placebo Pygmalion Positive Affect “Inner Dialogue” Affirmative Organizing

Inquiry into The Appreciable World Advancing High Initiating Lo w AI Theory Elevate & Extend Inquiry Positive Fusion: Broaden & Build Strengths Activate Energy: Positive Emotions Elevate & Extend Broaden & Build Positive Actions Extension of Relatedness

A Theory of Affirmative Organizing Organizations are made and imagined No iron laws Metaphor: heliotropic hypothesis Healthy organizations = 2:1 positively imbalanced “inner dialogue” Educative effect of positive imagery Positive image (discourse) as an obstacle Organizations do not need to be fixed Leadership = affirmation