Using appreciative inquiry in evaluation practice

These Powerpoint slides are from a workshop by Hallie Preskill at the 2007 Summer Institute of the American Evaluation Association and the Centers for Disease Control.

The workshop is intended to help participants to:

  • understand the basic principles of Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
  • experience the first phase of AI
  • understand how to reframe common issues and questions using affirmative language
  • understand the ways in which AI can be applied within an evaluation context.

It provides an introduction to the principles underlining Appreciative Inquiry, different formats ( 4D -  Discover, Dream, Design, Destiny and 4I – Inquire, Imagine, Innovate, Implement) and describes the 4 phases:

  1. Inquire – identifying the best of what is
  2. Imagine – identifying images of a desirable future
  3. Innovate – translating the vision into actionable statements
  4. Implement – making the provocative propositions become reality

Includes examples and an extensive reading list, as well as a small group exercise that can be used to introduce the approach.

Sources

Preskill, H. (2007). Using Appreciative Inquiry in Evaluation Practice, AEA-CDC Summer Evaluation Institute, June 11-12, 2007. Atlanta, GA.

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