After Action Review Practical 1

A tiny exchange showing how selective inquiry can notice pressure, test importance, check motivation, check urgency, and close with one baby step.

Session Summary 

This first S:DISS-X practical session demonstrated how a helping exchange can begin without forcing immediate clarity, diagnosis, or problem-solving. Rather than starting with a fully defined issue, the exchange began with a faint signal: “pressure.” The session showed how a helper can respond to that signal using selective inquiry rather than interrogation or advice.

A major learning point was that S:DISS-X works through seven forms of inquiry used selectively and contextually. Mike demonstrated how a small mirrored question such as “Pressure?” can slow the pace, protect the emerging moment, and allow the conversation to unfold naturally. The exchange avoided rushing toward explanation or solution-making. Instead, it stayed close to the person’s present experience.

The practical also introduced IMULL as a beginner-facing framework for evaluating helping interactions through Importance, Motivation, Urgency, Leverage, and Low-hanging fruit. Students were shown that RightACTION is not always a major intervention. Sometimes the fitting action is simply naming the starting point clearly and helping the person take one small next step.

Overall, the session modeled disciplined restraint, contextual fit, beginner’s mind, and inquiry before advice.

Full Demo Exchange

What Happened

The exchange did not begin with a declared problem. It began with a subtle signal: “pressure.” Rather than forcing the conversation into analysis or immediate solution-finding, Mike selected a small word with possible leverage and mirrored it back. This kept the interaction open and slowed the pace enough for the starting point to emerge naturally.

Throughout the practical, the emphasis remained on selective inquiry rather than mechanical questioning. The helper did not assume urgency, did not over-interpret the signal, and did not pressure the conversation toward premature clarity. Instead, the exchange protected uncertainty while still maintaining forward movement.

The session also reinforced that S:DISS-X contains seven forms of inquiry, not seven fixed skills. Skills may develop from the forms, but the forms themselves are the canonical structure. Students were encouraged to notice how even very small inquiry moves can shape pacing, readiness, emotional pressure, and actionability.

The practical closed by identifying a small “baby step” rather than a large solution. This demonstrated that RightACTION may sometimes be a clean beginning, a naming move, or a disciplined pause rather than a dramatic intervention.

S:DISS-X Forms Observed

Form of Inquiry	Where It Appeared	Why It Mattered
PING	“Is there something important to talk about today?”	Lightly touched the field without assuming a problem.
PROBE	“Pressure?”	Stayed inside the emerging context instead of redirecting too quickly.
PAUSE	The short mirrored response	Slowed the interaction and protected reflection.
PACE	“Do you need to get something done now?”	Checked urgency and timing before escalating action.
PROMPT	“How about one baby step?”	Invited small movement without forcing a solution.
PERMIT	Allowing incomplete clarity	Reduced pressure to immediately define the issue.
PERTURB	Challenging premature problem-solving	Interrupted the tendency to rush toward answers.

IMULL Score

IMULL Element	Score	Evidence
Importance	High	The exchange opened by checking whether something important was present.
Motivation	Medium	Motivation appeared through willingness to stay with the process.
Urgency	Low	The exchange explicitly avoided rushing action prematurely.
Leverage	Partial	“Pressure” showed possible leverage but was not fully confirmed.
Low-hanging Fruit	High	The next step was small and immediately actionable.

RightACTION Note

The RightACTION in this session was not solving a large problem. The fitting action was naming the starting point and protecting the emerging context long enough for clarity to develop naturally.

This mattered because premature clarity often creates distortion. When helpers move too quickly toward advice, interpretation, or problem-solving, they may lose important contextual information. The session demonstrated that sometimes the most developmental action is disciplined restraint.

The final “baby step” also reinforced that RightACTION does not always require a large intervention. A small naming move, a cleaner beginning, or a reduced pressure state may be more fitting than aggressive action.

TPOVs Surfaced

Reinforced TPOVs

TPOV	Short Definition
Forms, Not Skills	S:DISS-X contains seven forms of inquiry. Skills may develop from practicing the forms.
Selectivity	Inquiry should not be used mechanically or continuously.
Beginner’s Mind	The helper enters without assuming certainty.
IMULL	Importance, Motivation, Urgency, Leverage, and Low-hanging fruit guide the interaction.
Inquiry Before Advice	Inquiry may be more useful than advice when the issue is not yet clear.
Teach People to Fish	Developmental helping strengthens problem-finding and problem-solving capacity.

New or Candidate TPOVs

Candidate TPOV	Short Definition
Beginning Without Forcing Clarity	A helping stance that allows the starting point to emerge before defining or solving the issue.
Importance Before Interrogatory	Asking “Is there something important?” creates more openness than demanding explanation.
Pressure as Signal	Pressure may first be treated as information rather than immediately as a problem.
Natural Close	Ending at the current level of clarity instead of overextending the interaction.

Advanced TPOVs Mentioned

TPOV	Note
pCc	Potential, CAPACITY, capability were referenced as indicators of developmental fit.
Paradigmatics	Capability, bias, style, role, and system dynamics influence helping.
Coaching Under the Influence	Helpers must notice how their own needs affect helping behavior.
Networked Inquiry	S:DISS-X and IMULL operate dynamically rather than as rigid scripts.

Suggestions for Improvement

• Create a cleaner transition from housekeeping into the live practice.
• Display the tiny exchange separately before the debrief.
• Use IMULL consistently in spelling while optionally explaining the “I mull” pronunciation.
• Name each form of inquiry as it appears during the session.
• Move advanced sidebars into separate “Advanced Notes” sections.
• Add one leverage-checking question near the end of the exchange.
• Keep the student-facing report shorter than the full live debrief.
• Include one additional example showing PERMIT more explicitly.

APC Source Candidate Notes

Candidate Source Title

Beginning Without Forcing Clarity

Source Type

S:DISS-X Practice Vignette / TPOV Candidate

Canonical Definition

Beginning Without Forcing Clarity is a helping stance in which the helper allows the starting point to emerge without rushing the person into a premature problem statement, explanation, or solution.

Why It Matters

This stance protects S:DISS-X from becoming interrogatory, advice-driven, or mechanically problem-solving. It supports RightACTION by allowing the person’s own system to reveal what is important, motivating, urgent, leveraged, and actionable.

The approach also strengthens developmental helping by preserving readiness, pacing, and contextual fit instead of imposing premature structure.

Do Not Collapse With

Do not collapse this with passive listening, vague patience, or avoidance of action. This is active restraint in service of better problem-finding and more fitting actio

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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.