The Art of Naming Elephants

There’s an elephant in the room that everyone knows about but no one is acknowledging, goes the saying. April’s Appreciative Space will offer tools for naming the elephant.

Experience suggests that the elephant in the room remains unacknowledged in official gatherings and meetings, while being gossiped about in informal gatherings, chance encounters, and online chat. Rather than constructive debate about the elephant it is discussed in an unmanaged and potentially destructive manner.

In The Thin Book of Naming Elephants Sue Annis Hammond and Andrea B. Mayfield address the importance of tackling undiscussables for greater organisational success. They cite Appreciative Inquiry as a useful tool for having constructive dialogue, alongside identifying the undiscussable, and surfacing underlying assumptions.

Fiona Thomas, Appreciating Church’s Developmentalist, will explore how she has used this approach in church life, drawing on a recent example.

Held on the second Wednesday of each month at 11.00-12.00 BST, Appreciative Space encourages appreciative inquiry practitioners to share stories of their work with churches and other organisations as part of a self-sustaining community of practice.

The zoom link for each session is available through the members area of the Appreciating Church website. New members are welcome to register for an annual fee of £30 https://appreciating.church/register/

Email enquiries@appreciating.church if you would like to try a session before committing to membership.

Subscribing to the Appreciating Church newsletter is the easiest way to keep up to date with new events and future training dates: http://eepurl.com/h2l9sb