Tag Archives: center for appreciative inquiry

Helping Students Master the Habits of Effectiveness

Webinar Overview:

Since the publication of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in 1989, the work of Stephen Covey has enabled millions to move from dependency on others, to independence, and on to interdependence. With his first book, and the 2004 sequel The 8th Habit serving as the foundation, this webinar provides valuable applications to today’s college and university students. Having employed Covey’s work in his leadership courses and workshops, Dr. Lyons has attained widespread feedback from students and faculty alike confirming the value of these proven habits.

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.

  • Learn and practice strategies for becoming more proactive.
  • Encourage students to begin every important task by focusing on the end they seek to attain.
  • Understand and practice time management, Covey style.
  • The power that is achieved by continually pursuing “win-win” outcomes.
  • Understand the power of listening; learning the benefits of seeking to understand the other person before expecting that person to understand us.
  • Learn and practice strategies and resources that enhance synergy.
  • The benefits of sharpening the saw, i.e. proactively improving one’s own performance.
  • The immediate and long-term benefits of finding one’s voice, then helping others find theirs.
Duration: 1 Hour
Price: $9.99 USD (for webinar recording only)
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Presenter:

Your webinar presenter, Dr. 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.

Richard launched his consulting and presentation practice in 1999, shortly after the publication of his first book, The Adjunct Professor’s Guide to Success. He has since authored three other books – Teaching College in an Age of Accountability, Success Strategies for Adjunct Faculty, and Best Practices for Supporting Adjunct Faculty. His extensive research on these topics and familiarity with best practices that align with that research undergird his consulting. The strategies that he espouses have been well received not only by clients, but also by audiences in dozens of presentations at varied academic conferences.

Strategic Planning Using Appreciative Inquiry for Colleges and Universities

Webinar Overview:

Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to planning and positive change that has been used successfully in colleges, communities and organizations all around the world.  It is broad-based, highly participative, and energizing.  It builds new skills in faculty and staff, develops new leaders, encourages a culture of inquiry, and helps create shared vision and purpose for your college by building on your core values and strengths.  Perhaps most importantly-it leads to action, commitment, and results.

Designed For:

College presidents, executive teams, planning committees, and Ai Consultants who work with colleges and other public agencies.

Learning Outcomes:

Developing Your College’s Next Strategic Plan with Appreciative Inquiry will provide college executives, executive teams, and planning committees an overview of how Appreciative Inquiry works and answer key questions:

  • How is Appreciative Inquiry different from other planning processes?
  • What resources does planning with Appreciative Inquiry require?
  • Who gets involved and how?
  • How long does it take?
  • What is an Appreciative Inquiry “Summit” and how does my college host one?
  • What does a strategic plan developed through Appreciative Inquiry look like?
Duration: Approximately 1 Hour
Price: $9.99 USD (for webinar recording only)
[paid-downloads id=”11″]

Presenter:

Your facilitator, Dr. Lane Glenn, is the Vice-President of Academic Affairs for a community college in New England and an accomplished Appreciative Inquiry facilitator.  He has worked with several colleges and universities to develop strategic plans using Appreciative Inquiry, and he has provided consulting and training services for organizations in many fields, including K-12 public schools, community non-profit organizations, social service agencies, biotechnology manufacturing, public health, and national grass roots advocacy.  He has an enthusiastic and engaging presentation style and encourages interaction in webinars.

Healing Healthcare Organizations

Webinar Overview:

Healthcare organizations are unique for several reasons: they are heavily regulated; rely on knowledge construction and use rather than information management; have caring for others as their primary reason for existence; are both high tech and high touch; and require continual change and innovation for sustainability.

These factors create a dynamic system in which the development of a culture of inquiry is necessary to support an environment in which change and innovation can thrive.  Appreciation creates the context for this healing environment through inquiry, relationship, and communication.

Healing is defined as “the natural process by which the body repairs itself. We can apply this same conceptual definition to healthcare-establishing a healing environment that will allow the “body to repair itself” through appreciative inquiry.

Healthcare organizations are complex systems that have historically approached change from a problem-identification and problem-solving framework. This approach works well for simple, time-limited, functional problems.  In order to change, transform, and yes, even heal the organization, a different approach is needed. Appreciative Inquiry provides that foundation for change, transformation, and healing. What we need are ways to transform the organizational culture through inquiry, relationship, communication, and collaborative partnerships. 

Designed For:

Doctors, nurses, administrators, healthcare educators, technicians, specialists, therapists, healthcare assistants, individuals working at nursing homes or assisted livings — in short, anyone who involved in the healthcare industry who wants to learn how to improve the culture of the healthcare organization in which they work.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Describe the elements of a healing environment: inquiry, relationship, and communication.
  • Examine ways to facilitate positive change that create a healing environment.
  • Construct strategies for creating a healing environment in your organization.
  • Reflect on your own personal characteristics as a leader of change.
Duration: Approximately 1 Hour
Price: $9.99 USD (for webinar recording only)
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Presenter:

Kristen Crusoe RN, MN, EdD has been in healthcare for over 20 years, working as a nursing leader and educator, consultant, and writer/researcher.  Dr. Crusoe has been an engaged AI facilitator for the past several years, and has worked with hospital, clinic, academic, and private organizations.  Kristen has a BA from Florida State University, a Master’s of Nursing from Oregon Health Sciences University, and a Doctor of Education from Oregon State University. She is on the faculty of Oregon Health Sciences University, Southwestern Oregon Community College, and University of Phoenix.  Kristen has extensive experience working with complex system improvements utilizing multiple quality improvement methodologies, including the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Positive Deviance, and SOAR.

From Perfection to Sustainable Growth: Practicing the Art of Appreciative Inquiry

Webinar Overview:

Built to last is out . . . Designed to Evolve is in.  The notion of perfection can only exist in a static world.  We live in complex, dynamic times and only organizations and communities that are designed to evolve will be capable of sustainable growth.  This webinar explores four basic capacities necessary for self-evolving systems. Participants will leave the webinar with materials that will support interpersonal practices that support collaborative learning and innovation.

Designed For:

Managers, supervisors, CEOs, anyone working in an organization

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Introduction, practices and exercises associated with each of the four META capacities: Multiple ways of knowing, Engagement & accountability, Thinking together, and Acting collaboratively.
  2. Learn practical ways to take the “META practice” into the workplace and life.
Duration: Approximately 1 Hour
Price: $9.99 USD (for webinar recording only)
[paid-downloads id=”3″]

Presenter:

Dr. Cheri Torres has more than 30 years experience helping people and organizations expand their capacity for collaboration and excellence. She has worked in the public and private sectors in the US and around the world training trainers and facilitators, facilitating small and large groups, and providing professional development and organizational design consultation.

Cheri’s professional focus is grounded in the field of personal/ collaborative learning. Cheri helps people and organizations shift their workplace practices and design their systems for evolving sustainability. She believes that in today’s world, excellence is a function of learning and innovation and that these are natural outcomes for an appreciative inquiry-based, outcomes-focused organization. She partners with schools and organizations to expand their capacity for multiple ways of knowing, engagement and accountability, thinking together, and acting collaboratively. As a result people change they way they work together and how the organization is designed: a collaborative learning community evolves marked by open and positive relationships and the alignment of social and technical systems.

Cheri holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Collaborative Learning from the University of Tennessee. She also holds an MBA, a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology, and level II certification in Spiral Dynamics Integral. She serves on the board for the Media Arts Project of Asheville, NC and has authored numerous books and articles including The Appreciative Facilitator: Accelerated Learning Practices, From Conflict to Collaboration, and Dynamic Relationships: Unleashing the Power of Appreciative Inquiry in Daily Living. She also co-designed and patented Mobile Team Challenge, an award-winning, portable low ropes course.  She is a member of the Society for Organizational Learning, the Taos Institute, the American Association of School Administrators, the International Organization for Noetic Sciences and Spiral Dynamics Integral.

Engaging in Difficult Conversations: Discussing What Matters Most

Webinar Overview:

There are certain conversations we all dread, such as delivering bad news, discussing sensitive subjects, confronting unprofessional behavior, or revealing unfavorable performance reviews. Regardless of the topic, difficult conversations occur at all levels of an organization. While it may be tempting to ignore the problems or delay the conversation, disregarding critical issues only creates additional problems and conflict – often resulting in a loss of productivity and engagement. Working in today’s competitive, fast-paced environment requires a broad foundation of leadership, communication, and people skills. The ability to engage in and facilitate difficult conversations effectively is one of the many challenges faced by many workers today.

This webinar offers a participative environment to demonstrate how practicing Appreciative Inquiry can help you solve problems, address issues, and engage in the important, crucial discussions we try so hard to avoid. Register today for this webinar and learn how to turn challenging conversations with difficult people into a foundation for improved relationships, enhanced morale, and increased productivity.

Designed For:

Individuals in all levels of an organization who wish to take a leadership role in creating and facilitating positive organizational culture and effective relationships are invited to join this webinar.

Learning Outcomes:

  • More mindful of daily conversations that create/maintain organization or community culture.
  • Reflect on the value of intentional conversation.
  • Identify what creates a culture of welcome that supports learning, innovation, and collaboration.
  • Identify types of conversations, including the important difficult conversations that are often avoided.
  • Address difficult conversations using Appreciative Inquiry and reflective practice.
  • Handle conflict and feedback in constructive and generative ways.
Duration: Approximately 1 Hour
Price: $9.99 USD (for webinar recording only)
[paid-downloads id=”8″]

Presenter:

Cheri Torres, PhD, has more than 30 years experience helping people and organizations expand their capacity for collaboration and excellence. She has worked in the public and private sectors in the US and around the world training trainers and facilitators, facilitating small and large groups, and providing professional development and organizational design consultation.

Cheri’s professional focus is grounded in the field of personal/ collaborative learning. Cheri helps people and organizations shift their workplace practices and design their systems for evolving sustainability. She believes that in today’s world, excellence is a function of learning and innovation and that these are natural outcomes for an appreciative inquiry-based, outcomes-focused organization. She partners with schools and organizations to expand their capacity for multiple ways of knowing, engagement and accountability, thinking together, and acting collaboratively. As a result people change they way they work together and how the organization is designed: a collaborative learning community evolves marked by open and positive relationships and the alignment of social and technical systems.

COE Celebrates Earth Day 2011

Heather Henson (left) and Melissa Robaina (right) are all smiles as they partake in a local cleanup in celebration of Earth Day

On April 22, 1970 over 20 million Americans rallied in the streets, parks, schools, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. According to earthday.net, “Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values”. That day in 1970 is one to remember. As a result of everyone’s efforts, Congress enacted the United States Environmental Protection Agency in addition to passing the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

Company of Experts got down and dirty in celebration of Earth Day. The Company’s Social Marketing Director, Melissa Robaina, along with their student intern, Heather Henson, joined Get Outdoors Nevada – an interagency volunteer program – in its fight to preserve the desert ecosystem. Together they spent hours picking up trash in a remote area east of the Las Vegas strip that is often used for illegal dumping. More than thirty volunteers from around the Las Vegas area joined the cleanup efforts in order to restore the desert landscape to its beautiful, well-kept state.

When asked to reflect about the cleanup event Melissa replied, “This experience has been humbling and has ignited my desire to find additional ways to ‘go green’. I am very thankful to work for the Company of Experts’ whose principles not only value the people we serve, but the world for which sustains us all.” Heather’s response was brief and to the point, “Life is a garden, dig it.”

What’s Behind the Shine?

Everyone likes a clean home, but few of us like the chore of cleaning. Even worse, we often rely on a cocktail of hazardous substances to make our bathrooms sparkle or our floors shine. Dishwashing detergents often contain phosphates that pollute the groundwater; wood polish generally contains flammable toxins like nitrobenzene; and laundry detergent may contain bleach and other corrosives. We lock these compounds away in closets or under the sink to keep them from our children-but we often don’t consider what they may be doing to our own bodies.

Even as they help us pick up dirt and dust, many modern cleaners irritate our skin, eyes, and lungs. They can also leave toxic residues or pollute the water when we rinse them down the drain. But keeping our homes clean and avoiding toxic cleaners don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Several companies now produce “green” cleaners that avoid ingredients that are toxic or don’t biodegrade. Green cleaners can also be made from a range of safer substances we might already have around the house. If you are interested in making your own organic cleaning products? If so, WorldWatch.org lists several household items that can be used to clean different surfaces throughout your home, click here to learn more.