Appreciative Mediation = PULSE

Appreciative Mediation is a term I have begun to use to describe the PULSE Frame as a mediation tool. I have been asked to speak about it at the up coming AAMS conference and so I need to describe it for them and for you.

The PULSE Frame relies heavily on the theories associated with Appreciative Inquiry. AI at its core values the ideas of participants and accepts that the answers to any dispute or issue lies with them. The process of PULSE mediation is very similar to the process associated with AI which is used in organizational development to change the culture of an organization. The similarities in philosophical approach and processes will be explored in this appreciative session on appreciative mediation.

Process

Step one is to prepare for the inquiry by choosing a method such as peer interviews or whole group symposium. The second step is the uncover an affirmative topic. The third is to learn or discover the positive core. The fourth is to search or design a future and the fifth is the explain a plan and implement is the deliver stage.

Philosophy

What I most appreciate about AI is the way that people are held capable of wonderful positive contribution. I appreciate the positive questions and the underlying principles that pulse relies on.

1. The constructivist principle – words create worlds
2. The simultaneity principle – questioning begins the change
3. The anticipatory principle – people move toward an anticipated future
4. The positive principle and the heliotropic theory – people give you more of what gets attention
5. The poetic principle – people choose what they study
6. The Free Choice principle – people own what they choose

All of these principles are accepted by PULSE Practitioners and that makes a difference in how they approach mediation. This session will examine how appreciative mediation is the same as and different from facilitative mediation.