No such thing as a nuetral question

Posted by Susan Turnbull March 2, 2010 in Blog

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a branch of positive psychology that focuses on creating the framework for conversations that pull people forward into insightful, positive terrain. Ed Jacobson is a very known in AI circles and I feel very fortunate to be part of a group that will be meeting  with him once a month for the next 6 months.  AI’s applicability to the practice of creating ethical wills and other personal legacy document is obvious – and lovely. One of the principles of AI is that the questions one poses to oneself or to others are not neutral. The way a question is framed starts a process that has the power to start what is either a positive or negative cycle.   Consider the difference: “What are we going to do about this terrible problem?” vs. “What is the best outcome we can envision?”