212o – The Extra DegreeAt 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train.One extra degree = Exponential results |
A Letter to MandelaShikaya is a non-profit civil society organisation that recognises the crucial role that teachers can play in deepening and strengthening South Africa’s democracy. As such, Shikaya supports the personal and professional development of teachers to create a South Africa in which young people in schools are inspired and supported to become responsible citizens and future leaders in our democracy, valuing diversity, human rights and peace.This short feature is part of an interactive multimedia programme, Up2Us, which is being created for South African schools. Up2Us will give young people the opportunity to explore their identity, issues of prejudice and what it means to be an active democratic citizen so that they are more likely to feel inspired and motivated to take action in society. |
A Vision of Students Todaya short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today – how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. |
Changing Education ParadigmsThis animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA’s Benjamin Franklin award. |
CNA Qatar Strategic Planning ProcessA brief overview of Phase 1 of the CNAQ Strategic Planning process using Appreciative Inquiry. |
CNAQ Strategic Planning – Phase 1Second video produced by CNA Qatar – using Appreciative Inquiry to help develop their institution’s 5 year strategic plan. |
Coping with Change at WorkChange is a necessary part of business and that can cause stress among employees. Caty Everett, vice president at Alliance Leadership, explains how being transparent and engaging team members in the process can reduce anxiety. |
Did you know??Globalization & The Information Age. |
Embrace Life: A New Online Ad with a TwistA new campaign called Embrace Life is tackling an old-age issue in a very different way. |
How to Start a New Job: Dodging LandminesThose first few days on a new job can be stressful. Roberta “Bobbie” LaPorte, a career and leadership coach, discusses how to make a great first impression and hit the ground running |
Learning Styles Don’t ExistProfessor Daniel Willingham describes research showing that learning styles are a myth |
Managing During Difficult TimesCaty Everett, vice president of Alliance Leadership, explains how to maintain your credibility and executive presence during turbulent times. |
Smile & MoveIt’s all about attitude & action. Mattering to the world all with a smile. |
The Opportunity of AdversityThe thesaurus might equate “disabled” with synonyms like “useless” and “mutilated,” but ground-breaking runner Aimee Mullins is out to redefine the word. Defying these associations, she hows how adversity — in her case, being born without shinbones — actually opens the door for human potential. |
Tomorrow’s Cities“Tomorrow’s Cities”, a succinct and inspiring film (15 minutes long), presents a compelling and easy to understand account of the major developmental challenges facing our cities in South Africa and more broadly cities of the global south. Framed within these challenges, the film unfolds a vision, through the voice of a school child and exciting use of animation, and proposes practical solutions towards achieving breathable, sustainable, equitable and low carbon urban futures.The film is intended as a learning tool to raise discussion and awareness and ultimately inspire action toward the development of sustainable and equitable, low carbon cities. |
Tag Archives: appreciative inquiry
KCTCS : Being AI
Creating Our Future Together with Appreciative Inquiry Introduction The role of the System Office is to provide leadership, support and service to the KCTCS network of colleges in order that those colleges create a positive and significant impact across the state-economically, socially, and environmentally. The coming years will be filled with challenges and opportunities and the success of KCTCS will depend upon its capacity for learning, adapting and innovating. Everyone at KCTCS has the opportunity to play a key role in this endeavor. This six-month AI course is designed to support you. It is not to replace your current skills and strengths, but rather to build upon those and expand your opportunities to be both influential in the future of KCTCS as well as successful in your position. The first step in this process is to take stock of where you are now and where you want to be six-months from now. The following survey includes a number of questions that require you to reflect as you begin the upcoming AI course. It may take you up to an hour to complete. Please take the time to consider the questions before writing your answers. Confidentiality Your answers will be held confidential and seen only by the instructor, Cheri Torres (unless you yourself decide to share your responses with others). Deadline Please complete the survey no later than Thursday, January 28 at noon. This will give the instructor time to take your responses and goals into consideration before the on-site program the following week. Questions If you have questions about the course or this questionnaire, contact Cheri directly: Email: cheri.torres@gmail.com Phone: 865-567-7649 |
Overall Culture Survey Please read the statement and then check the word(s) that indicate how closely you agree with the statement. |
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Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.
KCTCS : Inquiry-based Management
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Introduction The role of the System Office is to provide leadership, support and service to the KCTCS network of colleges in order that those colleges create a positive and significant impact across the state-economically, socially, and environmentally. The coming years will be filled with challenges and opportunities and the success of KCTCS will depend upon its capacity for learning, adapting and innovating. Management will play a key role in this endeavor. This six-month management course is designed to support you. It is not to replace your current skills and strengths, but rather to build upon those and expand your opportunities to be both influential in the future of KCTCS as well as successful in your position. The first step in this process is to take stock of where you are now and where you want to be six-months from now. The following survey includes a number of questions that require you to reflect as you begin the upcoming management course. This may take you up to an hour to complete. Please take the time to consider the questions before writing your answers. Confidentiality Your answers will be held confidential and seen only by the instructor, Cheri Torres (unless you yourself decide to share your responses with others). Deadline Please complete the survey no later than Thursday, January 28 at noon. This will give the instructor time to take your responses and goals into consideration before the on-site program the following week. Questions If you have questions about the course or the survey, contact Cheri directly: Email: cheri.torres@gmail.com Phone: 865-567-7649 |
Overall Culture Survey
Please read the following statements and then check the word(s) that indicate how closely you agree with the statement. |
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Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.
Creating our Future Together Through Inquiry Based Management
Course DescriptionThis course is designed to increase your capacity to have a positive managerial impact within KCTCS and increase your sphere of influence. It is not a course to teach you about Appreciative Inquiry, collaboration and management; it is more like a practicum to build your understanding and expertise in the management practices that generate full engagement, collaboration, and accountability. In keeping with this, instead of an 18-hour management course condensed into three days, it is an 18-hour management course spread over six months.
The course format supports the implementation of new knowledge and new skills through daily practice, inviting you to accomplish your work in different ways. You should find these practices save you time and effort while they build strong relationships among your team. This mixed media learning course includes on-site training, bi-monthly 30-minute webinars, discussion, teamwork, reading, and practice. All sessions will be highly experiential and engage you in provocative discussions and practical applications of new ideas. You will be challenged to see from different perspectives, increase your curiosity, and to implement new procedures that increase efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration. Required Reading Following my commitment to honor your busy work schedule, there is limited required reading for the course. A short reading assignment may be emailed to you the week before each webinar. Any reading will also be posted in the Library on our Web-Ex classroom LINK. Additional articles, recommended books, links to videos and relevant websites are listed at the end of this syllabus as well as in our Web-Ex Library LINK. Required Materials and Equipment
On-Site Sessions: Please wear comfortable clothing and rubber-soled, closed toed shoes (like tennis shoes). Bring paper and pen and an Attitude of Inquiry! This part of the course is essential and it will be fun and provocative. Expect to be challenged, surprised, puzzled, and inspired. Webinars: You will need access to the Internet and … Kathy, I need you guys to specify exactly what’s needed here.
Recommended Reading Additional articles, recommended books, videos and website forums are listed at the end of this syllabus as well as on the Web-Ex Library LINK. Course Objectives and Content
This course will increase your capacity to influence staff engagement, accountability, and creativity as your team collaborates to achieve your department or division’s strategic outcomes and support the overall mission of KCTCS. Objectives:
Course Requirements: The lessons in this course build upon one another; therefore, it is important to attend sessions in the order listed on the syllabus and to practice each week’s lessons and engage in the required discussions sequentially. On-site Class: Two half-day morning sessions will provide the essential foundation upon which all other lessons are grounded. These two sessions are mandatory. Bi-monthly Webinars: 30-minute live webinars are offered twice each month. Managers may participate in the webinars at their desk, laptop while traveling, or with their cohort- any place with access to the Internet. Each webinar will consist of:
It is HIGHLY recommended that you attend all of these webinars as live sessions since discussion and Q&A are part of the 30-minute session. It is understandable that there may be an occasional unavoidable conflict with a session. When this occurs, you can view the missed webinar in the Recorded Section of our webinar classroom. Questions can be emailed to me or you can call me. Attendance at a minimum of 75% of the live webinars is required for certification. Recorded webinars must be viewed within a couple of days of the live session so that you have time to practice that week’s lesson before the next webinar. Practice: In between each webinar, you will have the opportunity to practice new ways of working based upon the lesson. After each session there will be specific opportunities/ assignments for the next two weeks. These might be challenging but not difficult. You should find them highly rewarding! Cohorts: You will have the opportunity to learn from, support, coach, and inspire one another through one of two cohort practices-meetings or discussion board. Taking just a few minutes at least every other day to reflect and share how these new practices are impacting you and your team is an essential part of expanding your capacity and that of your colleagues. Feel free to participate in both if you want! (a) Cohort Meetings: For those of you who enjoy getting together with others to talk about your experiences or ask questions, make a plan to meet for coffee or lunch 2-3 times a week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday). These don’t have to be long meetings, but they should be genuine reflections. A minimum of two meetings per week is required for certification. (b) Discussion Board: For the more introverted managers there is discussion board! Your posts should reflect genuine practice and commitment to one another. A minimum of 3 posts per week is required for certification. Staff Feedback and Exceptional Modeling: The fastest way to grow and build relationships is to ask for feedback. Appreciative Inquiry is a delightful way to request feedback. Once each month you’ll have the opportunity to solicit feedback from your staff (and other colleagues, if you choose). The questions you will ask will speak specifically to your personal goals for this course. You’ll be asking staff for high points, times in the last month when you were succeeding at your goal(s) and how that success impacted their work and engagement with the overall department/division. You’ll also be asking them for specific ideas about what they valued about the way you were managing. Finally, you’ll ask them for suggestions for what else you might do to further your success in meeting your goal(s). Final Report Your final assignment will be to reflect on your 6-month journey. You’ll have the opportunity to do your own personal reflection and to review feedback from your staff and colleagues. You will compile a list of changes you’ve made, results of these changes, and a personal statement about your sense of competence as a manager. Certification At the beginning of the course, you will establish your personal goals for your own management practice along with your commitment to your self and your colleagues in achieving your goals. At the end of the course, you and your colleagues will reflect on your efforts and progress towards your goals. Certification requires full participation in the course, feedback from your colleagues, and your own reflection in achieving your goals:
General Guidelines
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Inquiry Based Leadership
Developed with Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS)
In an effort to immerse Appreciative Inquiry as a planning tool across KCTCS, an opportunity is being created for SO managers and supervisors. As a group that is critical to the overall success of KCTCS becoming AI, employees are invited to enhance their core interpersonal skills, learn additional techniques to manage change and innovation, increase the positive impact they have on KCTCS, and investigate new methods to manage performance. Two Programs: Creating our Future Together with Inquiry-Based Management Creating our Future Together with Appreciative Inquiry Programs Includes: Two days of on-site introduction to Appreciative Inquiry and 6 months of coaching. Coaching will be provided to teams in the form of 30 minute live webinar sessions that are scheduled bi-weekly. These coaching session will enable teams to increase the practice of Appreciative Inquiry in their daily work. |
Program Facilitator: Cheri Torres |
![]() This is the question that motivates Cheri Torres and has her focused on collaboration. Given current global challenges, Cheri uses strengths-based organizational design practices to help clients respond effectively to increasing levels of complexity in their environments and growing demand for innovation and change. Her strategy is to expand collaborative capacity in communities and organizations using Appreciative Inquiry, Sociotechnical Systems Design, and Experiential Learning. She does this by partnering with her clients to intentionally design workplace environments, multi-stakeholder conversations, organizational systems and individual and team training to maximize value for all stakeholders. Her experience has taught her that systems and events that are intentionally designed for collaboration elicit our inherent collaborative capacity, regardless of our differences in background, views, or values. Expanding that capacity through lessons and intentional practice leads to increasing competence in thinking and working together with joy and creativity, resulting in sustainable innovation and ever-evolving excellence. |
Webinar FAQs
What is a webinar?(Two definitions are found below)From Wikipedia: “Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet.In the early years of the Internet, the terms “web conferencing” was often used to describe a group discussion in a message board and therefore not live. The term has evolved to refer specifically to live or “synchronous” meetings”. From Webopedia “Short for Web-based seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the web. A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements — the ability to give, receive and discuss information. Contrast with Webcast, in which the data transmission is one way and does not allow interaction between the presenter and the audience.” What are the benefits of a webinar? Cost-Effective: No travel required. An engaging way to provide your team with a variety of professional development opportunities for one low price! WE encourage teams of five to seven to participate in any one webinar. This is an ideal number of people to collaborate on projects and further the learning with practical application on the job or at home. Webinar participants log into the webinar site with a username and password sent via email; we will send you information about the webinar via email approximately 2 days prior to the presentation. Once logged in, you are able to see the PowerPoint slides, ask questions and make comments via chat. For the audio portion, participants call in using a toll-free number. Is there a recording available? We do record some of our webinars. If your webinar has been recorded, you will receive a link to the recording approximately one week after the recording along with the log-in information. What equipment is required? A phone line and a computer with an Internet connection will be required to participate in the webinar. If there will be a large group present, we recommend Presenter phone and a LCD projector or large monitor to project the webinar easily for the entire team. How will I use these webinars? Self-Improvement: The webinars provide real-world experience to improve your skills whether you are unemployed, underemployed, seeking a job promotion or want to increase your ability to work with others. |
The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Students
Overview:
Designed For:Faculty, staff, counselors, advisers, and anyone who works directly with students. Learning Outcomes:Participants will gain insights into the viability of the Covey approach for achieving improved self-discipline and accountability among their students.
Materials Required:
Facilitator Bio:Your facilitator, Richard E. Lyons, has served as a professor of management, department chair, instructional dean, corporate trainer, faculty and staff developer, and independent consultant. His grounding in sound research and quality management practices, as well as deep learning from his varied experiences, has enabled him to exceed expectations of clients systematically.… More> Additional Information:To learn more about the price, availability, or to register for this webinar, please click here Space is limited, guarantee yourself a spot today! |
Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry
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Strategic Planning Using Appreciative Inquiry
Overview:
Designed For:Professionals involved in the following areas: business, education, government, health-care, human services, non-profit organizations, and management and organizational development consultants. Learning Outcomes:Developing Your Organization’s Next Strategic Plan with Appreciative Inquiry will provide executive teams and planning committees an overview of how Appreciative Inquiry works and answer key questions, such as:
Material / Technical Requirements:
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Online Workshop Feedback
We thank you for attending and participating in one of our online workshops. We value working with you and look forward to hearing from you. We have made this short – as we know how valuable your time is.
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Thank you and have a wonderful day!