Dreaming phase of appreciative inquiry

In this phase of the appreciative inquiry 4D process the emphasis is on creating positive anticipatory images of the future to draw participants and their energy towards creating positive futures. A key point is that these positive anticipatory images are based on real and concrete knowledge of what the organization can do, brought forward from the discovery phase. Essentially for the dreaming phase of the appreciative inquiry process the question is 'how would the world be if more of these good things happened more of the time?'

Some key points to bear in mind when setting up appreciative inquiry dreaming exercises

	The emphasis is how would it be if more of these good things (from discovery) were happening more of the time
	This is about creating positive anticipatory images, more from imagination  than from extrapolation from experience or deduction from data
	Again we are looking for an embodied description: what the future could be like for this person if more good things were happening more of the time
	This can be done through interview, picture, poetry or drama (any creative process), in pairs, groups or individually
	The authenticity of the exercise comes from how it is set up, i.e. what has been done before and the instructions and permissions
	The more strongly people experience the positive feelings of this imaginary future, the stronger the effect in creating impetus and energy is likely to be

Sample Questions and positioning

To help create embodied individual experience you can position people in the future e.g. 'it’s now 2007, and lots of those good things that we identified are now happening a lot more of the time.' Once you have done that you can interview them

To develop a creative group experience, the instruction might be: 'spend some time talking about how things could be different if…then create a way to bring your vision back to the group.' Expressly give permission for it to be dance or poetry etc. This works well with large (40plus) groups working in small groups

Ideas for Further Development of the Process

	The interviewer feeds back the features of the future that they notice or that struck them; collect and collate. Notice any recurring themes
	Individuals talk about what excited them in that exercise (or what about their fantasy future excited them)
	Groups feedback or act back their expression of the possible future and others inquire into it
	Invite the group to notice what has emerged in their discussions
	Feed in your observations of what you were struck by, heard, or noticed

Click here for the rest of the 4D appreciative inquiry process: discovery, design, destiny