20 Appreciative Questions to Jumpstart Your Team Meeting

Questions for Appreciative Team Work
“Teamwork makes the dream work.” ~John C Maxwell
Start your team meeting with positive questions. This approach short circuits the negative thinking that often derails teams. Asking positive questions has a distinct competitive advantage: People are more expansive in their ideas, they are willing to take more risks, and they get creative ideas from listening to others. And an added bonus: calling attention to the positives at work ensures that people are likely to continue their positive practices even more!
[Tweet “Great Appreciative Questions for Positive Teams”]
20 Appreciative Questions that will Jump-Start Your Team:
1. What was a win that you had last week?
[Tweet “I love this question: “What was a win that you had last week?””]
2. How do we as a workgroup know when we have done good work?
[Tweet “I love this question: “How do we as a workgroup know when we have done good work?””]
3. What situations did you have an opportunity to learn and grow?
[Tweet “I love this question: “What situations did you have an opportunity to learn and grow?””]
4. What new relationships have you formed that have helped you to perform better?
[Tweet “I love this ?: What new relationships have u formed that have helped u 2 perform better?”]
5. How do you help to make our workplace positive and productive?
[Tweet “I love this question: “How do you help to make our workplace positive and productive?””]
6. Have you seen one of our workgroup members go beyond the call of duty sometime in the past month?
[Tweet “I love this ?: Have u seen 1 of our team go beyond the call of duty sometime in the past month?”]
7. Has an internal or external customer told you that you make a difference?
[Tweet “I love this question: “Has an internal or external customer told you that you make a difference?””]
8. When do you feel your job is important?
[Tweet “I love this question: “When do you feel your job is important?””]
9. How can we set up each other for success?
[Tweet “I love this question: “How can we set up each other for success?””]
10. When have you received appreciation from others about your contributions and successes?
[Tweet “I love this ?: When have u received appreciation from others about your contributions and successes?”]
11. What do you look forward to doing at work each day?
[Tweet “I love this question: What do you look forward to doing at work each day?”]
12. What did you notice about what someone else was doing that was effective in our work?
[Tweet “I love this ?: What did u notice about what someone else was doing that was effective in our work?”]
13. How can we help each other recognize existing opportunities to try new things?
[Tweet “I love this question: How can we help each other recognize existing opportunities to try new things?”]
14. Share a time when you made an effort to hear and understand the opinions of others?
[Tweet “I love this ?: Share a time when u made an effort 2 hear & understand the opinions of others?”]
15. What ideas have been acted on that were suggested by our team members?
[Tweet “I love this question: What ideas have been acted on that were suggested by our team members?”]
16. Who is a member of team that you can trust and depend on?
[Tweet “I love this question: Who is a member of team that you can trust and depend on?”]
17. Who helps you to believe in your potential for success?
[Tweet “I love this question: Who helps you to believe in your potential for success?”]
18. What values do we have in common and how do we demonstrate our values at work?
[Tweet “I love this question: What values do we have in common and how do we demonstrate our values at work?”]
19. When did we communicate well with one another?
[Tweet “I love this question: When did we communicate well with one another?”]
20. How can we build a workplace environment that places an emphasis on acquiring new knowledge?
[Tweet “A great #GrowthMindset ?: How can we build a workplace that emphasizes acquiring new knowledge?”]
I think that you will find that when you start your team meeting with one of these appreciative questions that the group will be energized and that they will be positively inspired to face their challenges. Try it and let us know what happens!
Would you like to be coached by Dr. Lynn K. Jones to develop positivity with your team? I would love to talk to you about some simple shifts you could make right away that will make a big difference! Schedule a time to talk that works for you on Dr. Lynn’s calendar
Appreciatively,
Dr. Lynn K Jones
Dr. Lynn K. Jones is a Board Certified Coach and an Advanced Certified Personal and Executive Coach based in Santa Barbara, California and a sought after coach and consultant for organizations and individuals across the US. Her doctoral work completed at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University concerned organizational culture; she coaches, consults and trains organizations on what they need to do to create organizational cultures that are aligned with their vision and values using a process of Appreciative Inquiry. She coaches individuals on achieving their reflected best selves. A MSW@USC faculty member, Dr. Lynn K. Jones, MSW, DSW, CSWM, teaches Human Behavior and Social Environment and Leadership to social work students at the University of Southern California.
What a great way to promote a positive and open meeting! Meetings can be so droll, or even worse, depressing, when the boss prattles on about all the things that need fixing. This is a great way to get people talking, and to get the positivity ball rolling.
Calla Gold
Calla Gold Indeed, the positivity ball once rolling changes the tone of the meeting from doom and gloom to hope!
Appreciatively,
Lynn
DrLynnKJones Calla Gold
It so does Dr. Lynn!
To start a meeting off with positivity is great advice! Thank you for the 20 questions to get it started!
Let me know if you try one of these questions and how it works!
Appreciatively,
Lynn
I don’t work with a team, since I’m in private practice, but I always love the positive slant when working with anyone. Many of these questions can be adapted a bit to use with clients too. Thanks, Lynn.
Linda
LindaMenesez So true. Hope these questions are helpful as you work with your clients on having a more positive mindset! The questions we are asked change how we see the world.
Appreciatively,
Lynn
I have seen first hand how true this is! Working as a member of a team it can be extremely discouraging when you feel like your work isn’t being acknowledged. So many of my former bosses could have benefited from these tips! Top notch Dr. Jones!
DanJGold Glad you found the 20 positive questions to jumpstart your team helpful!
I’m going to adapt this to my improv group. Such a good way to start any kind of anything with a group.
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