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Appreciative interviews

Appreciative Interviews are a powerful method for uncovering the conditions that lead to success within a group or organization. In under an hour, any group (regardless of size) can identify what makes them thrive. The process focuses on sharing real success stories, which:
  • Reveals hidden strengths and root causes of success.
  • Generates energy and momentum for positive change.
  • Shifts the focus from problems to what’s working well.
  • Provides social proof through stories of local solutions and innovations.
  • Surfaces patterns of success that can inform future strategies.
  • Encourages investment in social supports (like collaboration and recognition) that are often undervalued compared to financial or technical resources.

  • Time needed

    60 minutes

  • Preparation

    Offline Format Online Format
    Prepare space for people to sit face to face with each other (pairs, then foursomes) Prepare virtual whiteboard template (for example Miro)
    Paper for taking notes Prepare split into smaller group: first pairs, then groups of 4 people 
    Flip chart for recording the stories and assets and conditions  

  • Set the stage

    1. Frame the "Topic/Area of Focus": Clearly define the area or challenge the group will explore. This should be phrased positively or neutrally, avoiding problem-centric language.

      • Examples: "Success in our team's collaboration," "Peak experiences in customer service," "Moments when we've felt most innovative," "Achieving our strategic goals," "What gives life to our organization."

    2. Explain Appreciative Inquiry: Briefly introduce the concept of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) if the group is unfamiliar.

      • "Instead of asking 'What's the problem?', we're asking 'What's working well?', 'What gives us energy?', 'What are our strengths?'."

      • Emphasize that focusing on strengths doesn't mean ignoring challenges, but that building on what works is often a more effective path to positive change.

    3. Explain the Structure: Outline the pair-interview process and the questions.

  • Step-by-step and timing

    1. Preparation (3 min): Facilitator describes the sequence of steps and specifies a theme or what kind of story participants are expected to tell 
    2. Individual Reflection (2 min): Participants silently and individually reflect on the prompt and choose a specific story or experience to share
    3. The Interview (In Pairs) (20 min): In pairs, participants take turns conducting an interview and telling a success story, paying attention to what made the success possible
      • Role Assignment: Designate one person as "Interviewer A" and the other as "Interviewer B." First, Interviewer A Interviews Interviewer B (7-10 minutes) and then switch the roles.
      • As a facilitator: Provide 1-3 powerful, open-ended questions for the interviewer to use. These questions should invite stories of peak experiences and strengths related to the Topic of Focus. Examples for "Success in team collaboration":
        • "Describe a time when you felt our team was collaborating at its absolute best. What made it a peak experience?"
        • "What unique strengths or contributions do you bring to our team's collaboration, and what do you value most in others?"
        • "Without being limited by the present, what conditions or practices would make our team's collaboration even more extraordinary in the future?"
      • Instructions for Interviewer A: "Your job is to listen deeply, ask follow-up questions to understand the story fully, and capture key details, feelings, and insights."
      • Instructions for Interviewer B: "Your job is to share your story, be specific, and really lean into those positive experiences."
      • As a facilitator: Announce the start and keep time. Gently remind interviewers to probe for details and feelings.
    4. Sharing Discoveries (In Groups of Four) (15 min): each person retells the story and shares key discoveries from the story of their partner
    5. Synthesizing with the Whole Group (15 min): The facilitator asks each group of four to share their top 1-2 key discoveries or patterns with the entire room. 
      • As a facilitator: Record these themes on a flip chart or whiteboard. Look for patterns, commonalities, and inspiring outliers.
    6. Further analysis: Ask, “How are we investing in the assets and conditions that foster success?” and “What opportunities do you see to do more?”
    7. Use 1-2-4-All to discuss the questions (10 min)

  • Hints

    1. Craft Powerful Questions: The quality of the questions is paramount. They should be open-ended, invite storytelling, and focus on the positive. Avoid "why did it fail?"

    2. Time Management: Be firm with the timing for each interview segment. The brisk pace keeps energy high.

    3. Listen, Don't Lead: During the interviews, the facilitator should mostly observe. Resist the urge to jump in or provide answers.

    4. Capture Generatively: During the whole group discussion, try to capture the essence of what's said in a way that continues to build positive momentum.

    5. Trust the Process: It might feel unusual for some to focus solely on the positive, but the results often reveal deeper truths and more sustainable paths forward.

    6. Be a Role Model: Show enthusiasm and genuinely appreciate the stories being shared.

    7. Connect to the next action. The session should conclude with a conversation about what to do next

  • Examples of use

    1. Team Kickoff and Culture Building

    • The Situation: A new team is forming, with members from different departments who don't know each other well. Previous teams in the organization have struggled.
    • The Invitation: "Tell me a story about a time in your career when you were part of a truly successful team. What made that team successful? What did you do, and what did others do, that made it possible?"
    • The Outcome: By sharing personal stories of past success, the team members quickly discover shared values and characteristics of a great team. They can then collectively define what they want their new team to be like, based on these positive examples.

    2. Identifying Enablers for Success in a Project

    • The Situation: A project team is facing challenges, and there's a risk of focusing on what's going wrong. The goal is to get the project back on track by building on existing strengths.
    • The Invitation: "Please share a story about a time during this project when you felt most proud of your work or a moment when we achieved a small but meaningful success. What were the specific conditions that made that success possible?"
    • The Outcome: The team uncovers "local solutions" and promising prototypes that they can build on. They realize they have more strengths than they initially thought, and they can focus their energy on replicating those successes.

    3. Organizational Change and Strategy

    • The Situation: A company is undergoing a major transformation and needs to create a shared vision for the future. There is a lot of anxiety and resistance to change.
    • The Invitation: "Tell me a story about a time when you felt most proud to work here, or when you saw our organization at its best. What was happening? Who was involved? What core values were on display?"
    • The Outcome: By collecting and analyzing these stories, the organization can identify the essential elements of its identity that everyone wants to carry forward. This creates a powerful, positive narrative for change and helps to build buy-in for the new strategic direction.

  • Link with other Liberating Structures

    It uses:

    1. 1-2-4-All

    Follow up with:

    1. Min specs

  • Link to Liberating Structures page

    Appreciative interviews

  • Link to virtual whiteboard template (Miro)

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