Cynthia Kurtz on PNI

Two Cynthia Kurtz posts in a row! 

Participatory Narrative Inquiry has been a very powerful way to connect my own facilitation, evaluation/research and change work in my practice. We’ve done PNI projects that have lasted from a few days to five years. Narrative capture and sense making creates a grounded and co-owned process for planning, creating change, adjusting strategy or simply understanding a current state.  It works with the capacities and capabilities of the people in the organization or community themselves to do the work and so it is a good way to suspect the lure of the intervenor.  

Cynthia’s approach to the work is so clear and approachable, which is remarkable for such a wide reaching and deep body of work and practice.  Here is a new interview where she talks about using PNI, the challenges that it poses and why – in my opinion – the biggest problems are with the practitioner’s own positioning of themselves. Using PNI in practice I think helps groups to see what they already know and how much they are capable of, AND, if you come to the work honestly, it will make you a better practitioner too.