International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry

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Valencia Students Into Random Acts of Listening

Cees Hoogendijk

www.ceeshoogendijk.com

mail@ceeshoogendijk.nl

 

 

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I was happily invited, for a second time, as sometime-professor at the University of Valencia to work with students in the Erasmus program “European Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (WOP-P) 2024” for the course Intervention in Organizations, Organizational Change and Development (see photo). My three-day lecture is about contemporary methods of organizational change and development: Appreciative Inquiry interventions.

This LinkedIn post by Bishal Sala gives an impression of how it went. AI, of course, is the perfect practice for a process of “learning by doing”. We designed our own AI-summit on the self-chosen – and essential – topic of Work-Life-Balance.

Fast forward to the individual assignment I created, inspired by Nick Heap and Random Acts of Listening initiative, which turned out to be a great success, highly rewarding for both teacher and students.

Vasiliki Salvanou

Preparation

Since I was going to Turia Park, my goal was to choose someone who seemed approachable. I wanted to focus on strengths, successes and possibilities through my questions, rather than on problems.

Possible questions for an appreciative inquiry

1.“Hi, I’m a master’s student of organizational psychology in university of Valencia, and I’m doing a project on how people create and try to maintain positive changes in their lives. Would you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about this topic?”

2. Life moment “When you felt you were at your best? Was it special for you?”

3. Specific experience “How did your strengths shape your experience?”

4. Future goal “What’s something positive you hope to achieve in the future? What will help you get there?”

5. General “How could you focus more on positive outcomes rather than on obstacles?”

After the conversation

Before going to Turia Park, I felt both curious and hesitant.

I felt uncomfortable asking if I could take a picture because it seemed a bit intrusive. By focusing on creating a respectful and meaningful exchange, I chose to prioritize the connection over the photo, which allowed the conversation to flow more naturally and authentically.

My overall impression of the conversation was as follows: I introduced myself and described my project to a person seated on a bench. The stranger was open to talking, so we talked about a time when she felt most herself. We started a conversation about her strengths with her sharing a story of her own personal development. Generally, the conversation had a smooth and upbeat flow. Even though I was a bit anxious, it was simple to keep going because of the emphasis on advantages and positive elements.

From this experience I took away the importance of posing inquiries that prompt individuals to consider the positive parts of their lives. The talk flowed more naturally than I had expected, and it felt more like an interaction than an interview. Plus,I found out, it’s also not too difficult to strike up a (positive) conversation with a random girl at Turia Park.

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