Peer Support Power Hour

Step 1: Icebreaker

Group activity

1 min per member

An icebreaker is a powerful tool to help us become present with one another and ourselves. One by one, fill in the sentence below and share it with your Circle. Listen carefully as each member takes a turn and say thank you when she’s finished. Avoid the urge to slip into conversation.

• The insights of my peers are important to me because . . .

Step 1: Review the fundamentals of Appreciative Inquiry

Group activity

5 min

Take a few minutes to discuss the core concepts of Appreciative Inquiry as a group.

Appreciative Inquiry is a framework for solving problems

It can be easy to sink into negativity when we think about the challenges we’re facing. Appreciative Inquiry helps you find positive solutions using four steps—Discover, Dream, Design, and Deliver. At each step, you’ll ask questions that will help you zero in on strengths and opportunities, instead of focusing on shortcomings and barriers.

• DISCOVER: “What are my strengths?”
• DREAM: “What might be?”
• DESIGN: “What will it take to get there?”
• DELIVER: “What actions will get me started?”

Here are examples of how using Appreciative Inquiry can help you reframe a challenge as an opportunity:

• INSTEAD OF ASKING: "What is the biggest problem here?", ASK: "What is going on well right now?"
• INSTEAD OF ASKING: "Why did I make that mistake?", ASK: "How have I handled this type of situation successfully before?"
• INSTEAD OF ASKING: "How can I get out of this mess?", ASK: "What possibilities exist that I haven’t thought of yet?"

Step 2: Pick a personal challenge to explore

Individual activity

5 min

Take a few minutes to think about a personal challenge you’d like to work through using Appreciative Inquiry. Take 5 minutes to write about it.

Step 1: Select one personal challenge to tackle

Group activity

10 min

Break into small groups of three or four members. One by one, share the challenge you wrote down. After each member has shared, pick one to focus on. We recommend that you pick a challenge that will call on thoughtful input from the entire group.

We know it can be hard to select a single challenge, so we encourage you to schedule additional Peer Support Power Hour sessions so you can you repeat this activity and give other members a chance to be the challenge owner.

Step 2: Apply Appreciative Inquiry to the challenge

Group activity

15 min

Stay in your small groups of three or four. If you are the owner, answer the questions below out loud so the rest of the group can gain a better understanding of the issue you’ll be working through together. If you need to organize your thoughts first, it’s OK to spend five to ten minutes jotting down notes.

Stay in your small groups of three or four. If you are the owner, answer the questions below out loud so the rest of the group can gain a better understanding of the issue you’ll be working through together. If you need to organize your thoughts first, it’s OK to spend five to ten minutes jotting down notes.

Answer the following questions:

• Restate your personal challenge for the group.
• DISCOVER: What personal strengths can you apply to this situation? What core strengths do you possess that have helped you be successful in the past?
• DREAM: Imagine the future. What does success look like in this situation?
• DESIGN: What will it take to get there? Identify the steps—big and small—that will help you get from your current situation to the desired outcome.
• DELIVER: What actions will get you started on that path?
• If you’re not the owner, you’ll be able to share your insights in steps 3 and 4—and there’s a good chance you’ll learn something that helps you, too. If it’s helpful, you can take notes below so you are ready to share your thoughts with the group.

Step 3: Ask clarifying questions and collect your thoughts

Group activity

15 min

After the owner completes step 2, other members should spend a few minutes asking clarifying questions. Resist the urge to offer suggestions at this point!

Step 4: Discuss the challenge as a group

Group activity

20 min

Now it’s time for the group to share their insights with the owner so she can expand her thinking and land on the best solution. One by one, other members should offer words of encouragement and share their own ideas for addressing the challenge.

If you’re the owner, thank each member after her turn. Focus on listening rather than responding. In fact, you should act as if you’re not even there so you don’t influence the other members and are able to get the full benefit of their perspectives.

If it’s helpful, you can use the space below to collect your thoughts as your group discusses the challenge.

Step 1: Select one personal challenge to tackle

Individual activity

15 min

Take 15 minutes to to write down how you plan to tackle your personal challenge.

Step 2: Share your plan with your Circle

Group activity

10 min

Come back together as a large group. One by one, use the prompts below to share your new ideas with your fellow Circle members.

• As a reminder, my challenge is . . .
• One insight I gained using Appreciative Inquiry is . . .
• I plan to . . .

Move quickly from member to member and consider cheering on one another as you go!

Step 1: Finalize logistics of your next meeting

Group activity

10 min

Before you break, make sure you have the basics covered for your next meeting: day and time, location, food and drink. Decide what you’re going to do when you get together or who’s going to send out ideas. You may also want to talk through what worked—and what didn’t—in today’s meeting and brainstorm improvements going forward.

Step 2: Close on an energetic and inspirational note

Group activity

2 min

To punctuate the end of this meeting, go around your Circle one by one and complete the sentence below:

• After our Peer Support Power Hour, I am feeling . . .