After Action Review Practical 3

A practical demonstration showing how selective inquiry can uncover real constraints, resist premature transaction, and support RightACTION through disciplined restraint and developmental inquiry.

Session Summary

This third S:DISS-X practical session focused on the importance of identifying real constraints before choosing action. Mike demonstrated how helpers often move too quickly into transaction, advice, explanation, or solution-making without adequately understanding what is actually limiting movement. Throughout the session, the emphasis remained on selective inquiry, developmental fit, and protecting the “third space” where the person being helped can reveal their own problem-solving process.

Using ChatGPT as the “person being helped,” Mike modeled how to maintain inquiry tension without taking over the conversation. Early in the session, he explained why phrases such as “tell me more” or “can you explain?” can unintentionally shift pressure onto the helper and create interrogatory dynamics. Instead, he demonstrated how lighter inquiry moves such as PINGs and selective mirroring allow the person being helped to reveal more about their pCc — potential, CAPACITY, and capability.

A major theme of the practical was the distinction between real constraints and assumed constraints. Rather than immediately acting on the visible problem, Mike repeatedly explored what might actually be limiting movement underneath the surface story. The conversation explored examples such as writing a proposal, where the real issue may not be the writing itself but unclear purpose, low energy, lack of readiness, or missing capability.

The session also reinforced that S:DISS-X is not meant to be used mechanically or continuously. Mike emphasized that “less is more,” and that selective inquiry works by carefully choosing openings rather than overwhelming the interaction with constant questioning. Students were shown how the seven forms of inquiry operate dynamically and contextually rather than as rigid scripts.

Several advanced concepts emerged throughout the practical, including PCC projection, “coaching under the influence,” VUCA conditions, developmental helping, leverage, emergent systems, and the “7 Ts” framework: transcription, translation, transaction, transition, transformation, transcendence, and transduction. Mike used these ideas to explain why people often struggle to create RightACTION even when they possess motivation or information.

The practical also demonstrated how helpers can “seed the close” by gradually moving toward a natural ending without forcing abrupt closure. Instead of overextending the session, Mike checked leverage, explored low-hanging fruit, and invited a concrete example that clarified the relationship between constraint and action.

Overall, the session demonstrated that developmental helping depends on disciplined restraint, contextual awareness, and the ability to notice what is actually constraining movement before selecting action. Students were encouraged to slow down, reduce assumptions, and allow inquiry to reveal the underlying conditions shaping readiness, motivation, and capability.

Full Demo Exchange

What Happened

The practical began with Mike introducing the idea of “pushing the lead back” to the person being helped. Rather than taking responsibility for defining the problem too early, he used selective inquiry to encourage the other person to reveal their own context, readiness, and constraints.

As the exchange unfolded, Mike repeatedly demonstrated restraint. He explained that helpers often create interrogatory pressure by asking for more information prematurely. Instead of taking over the conversation, he protected the “third space” where the person being helped could reveal their own problem-solving process.

A major turning point occurred when the discussion shifted from action to constraints. Rather than focusing immediately on completing tasks, the conversation explored what was actually limiting movement. This reframed helping from transactional problem-solving toward developmental inquiry.

The session also explored how helpers project their own pCc into conversations and accidentally meet people “where the helper is” instead of where the other person actually is. Mike warned against “coaching under the influence” — helping that is distorted by the helper’s own needs, assumptions, capability, or urgency.

As the session progressed, the exchange introduced leverage, low-hanging fruit, developmental pacing, and examples of RightACTION. Mike eventually seeded the close by asking for a concrete example involving proposal writing, which illustrated how identifying the real constraint may matter more than immediately taking action.

The practical concluded with reflections on the 7 Ts framework and the importance of slowing down enough to understand transcription, translation, transaction, and transformation before forcing movement.

S:DISS-X Forms Observed

Form of Inquiry	Where It Appeared	Why It Mattered
PING	“Do you want to say more?”	Tested willingness without forcing disclosure.
PROBE	“First step is real?”	Stayed close to emerging meaning rather than redirecting prematurely.
PAUSE	Deliberately slowing interpretation	Protected developmental inquiry and reduced assumption-making.
PACE	“Is there something you need to do now?”	Checked urgency before escalating toward action.
PROMPT	Requesting a concrete example near the close	Helped create actionable understanding.
PERMIT	Allowing ambiguity around constraints	Reduced pressure for premature certainty.
PERTURB	Challenging transactional helping habits	Interrupted automatic problem-solving behavior.

IMULL Score

IMULL Element	Score	Evidence
Importance	High	The exchange focused on uncovering meaningful constraints affecting action.
Motivation	Medium-High	Continued inquiry showed willingness to explore deeper conditions.
Urgency	Medium	Urgency was explored but intentionally moderated.
Leverage	High	Small inquiry shifts repeatedly produced deeper insight.
Low-hanging Fruit	Medium-High	The proposal-writing example created a concrete and teachable application.

RightACTION Note

The RightACTION in this practical was not immediate action-taking. The fitting move was identifying the real constraint before selecting action. Mike repeatedly demonstrated that action without understanding often creates emergogenics — unintended problems caused by premature transaction.

This mattered because many helping systems reward quick answers, rapid solutions, and visible productivity. S:DISS-X instead emphasizes developmental fit, readiness, leverage, and pCc awareness. By slowing the process down, the helper can better distinguish between real constraints and assumed constraints.

The proposal-writing example demonstrated this clearly. The real issue was not necessarily writing the proposal itself. The underlying problem may have involved unclear purpose, insufficient energy, missing capability, low motivation, or uncertainty about audience and expectations. RightACTION therefore required understanding the limiting condition before selecting the next step.

TPOVs Surfaced

Reinforced TPOVs

TPOV	Short Definition
Less Is More	Small inquiry moves often create better developmental space than constant questioning.
Forms, Not Skills	S:DISS-X contains seven forms of inquiry from which many skills may emerge.
Selectivity	Inquiry should be carefully chosen rather than used mechanically.
Teach People to Fish	Developmental helping strengthens the person’s own problem-solving system.
Meeting People Where They Are	Effective helping depends on pCc awareness and contextual fit.
Inquiry Before Transaction	Helpers should understand constraints before forcing action.
IMULL	Importance, Motivation, Urgency, Leverage, and Low-hanging fruit guide helping conversations.

New or Candidate TPOVs

Candidate TPOV	Short Definition
Real Constraint Before Action	Effective helping identifies limiting conditions before choosing action.
Coaching Under the Influence	Helpers distort helping when projecting their own PCC into the process.
Seed the Close	Conversations can be guided toward natural closure without abrupt endings.
Constraint Over Story	The actual limiting condition may matter more than the narrative around it.
Protect the Third Space	Helpers should avoid prematurely occupying the developmental space of the other person.

Advanced TPOVs Mentioned

TPOV	Note
pCc	Potential, CAPACITY, capability were central to evaluating readiness and fit.
CAPC	Considerate, appreciative, purposeful, sustainable, ethical, and effective helping.
VUCA	Volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments shape helping conditions.
Coaching Under the Influence	Helpers may unknowingly project their own systems into helping interactions.
Emergogenics	Premature action may create unintended secondary problems.
The 7 Ts	Transcription, translation, transaction, transition, transformation, transcendence, and transduction.
Third Space	The developmental space between helper and person being helped.
Dynamic Inquiry	Inquiry forms adapt contextually rather than functioning as scripts.
BDIKS	Behaviors, design, knowledge, skills, experience, and system enablement shape actionability.

Suggestions for Improvement

• Separate beginner and advanced theory sections more clearly.
• Reduce cognitive load by shortening extended theoretical sidebars.
• Display IMULL visually earlier during the demonstration.
• Provide simpler everyday examples before moving into abstract systems thinking.
• Clarify the difference between real constraints and narratives about constraints.
• Add more direct examples of PERMIT and PACE during the interaction.
• Slow down explanations of the 7 Ts framework for beginners.
• Include a visual diagram showing transactional versus developmental helping.
• Summarize key teachable points before moving into advanced conceptual material.

APC Source Candidate Notes

Candidate Source Title

Real Constraints Before RightACTION

Source Type

S:DISS-X Practice Vignette / Developmental Inquiry Source

Canonical Definition

Real Constraints Before RightACTION is a developmental helping stance in which the helper identifies the actual conditions limiting movement before selecting action, advice, or intervention.

Why It Matters

This approach protects helping from collapsing into premature transaction, superficial problem-solving, or projection of the helper’s own capability into the process. By identifying the real constraint, helpers can better match RightACTION to the person’s actual readiness, motivation, capability, and context.

The stance also supports developmental helping by strengthening problem-finding rather than merely accelerating action. It helps reveal whether the issue is truly about the visible task or about deeper constraints involving energy, clarity, capability, permission, fit, or environmental conditions.

Do Not Collapse With

Do not collapse this with passive delay, over-analysis, or avoidance of action. The goal is still RightACTION, but action is selected after identifying the real limiting condition rather than reacting prematurely to surface narratives or assumed constraints.

Notice: To pre-order a copy of Mike’s latest book mentioned in some of his posts in e-book format for $9.97 (available late 2026), visit HERE to be first in line.

Mike R. Jay is a developmentalist utilizing consulting, coaching, advising and helping… emergent from dynamic inquiry as a means to cue, scaffold, support, lift, and protect; offering inspiration to aspiring leaders who are interested in humaning where being, doing, having, becoming, contributing, relating, guiding to produce resilience and wellth help people lead generative lives.