S:DISS-X: Theory & Practice
S:DISS-X: Theory & Practice — Finding RightACTION Through Generative Inquiry
📚 Resources
🌿 Living Inquiry Book
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📘 Mini Book
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✨ Grok Summary
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🪟 Johari’s Window
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💰 The ROI of Attention
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📖 Introduction Part 2
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🗓️ Charter Group
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🤯 Beginner’s Mind
Mike Jay
S:DISS-X: Theory & Practice
I’m beginning a project to bring S:DISS-X into our foreground over the next 3-4 weeks of focused theory & practice.
I need your help.
1. We want to rewrite the book I’ve been working on for a decade+
2. I want to ask you to be a short conversation partner choosing a “tiny” problem that showcases how we use S:DISS-X in practice and thus begin to build a library of practice for APC for query, perhaps as source documents for the LLM-WIKI project.
In order to get started I want to think about how to work with you to rewrite the book and create the training vignettes for video practice.
I’m thinking out loud with you (extraversion) in order to come up with options.
My thoughts on the practice is to do real time chat with you and showcase in this “real-time lab” how I approach it with —in the beginning—a very short 2-3 line exchange for demo purposes so I can start people off slow with the application of S:DISS-X.
Hi, how are you?
U answer?
Is there something important to chat about?
U answer?
Then we go from there?
——
Before we start, I need
1. An introduction for people who have no experience with S:DISS-X and then some theory backing and then a launch into the practice with you live which is recorded.
It’s important to Note that in the first few sessions we will only go a few exchanges because I will share with everyone what the S:DISS-X thought and action process looks like as we score each exchange with IMULL.
So we need to define (OPT)IMULL for them up front to show them how to use the process. Now can you frame that into the proper deliverables so that our purpose is clear… to give people a chance to see how S:DISS-X works to help people find and solve RightACTION? 2.
ChatGPT
I’ll frame this as a working project architecture rather than a finished curriculum. I’ll keep the first version practical enough that it can guide book rewriting, live recording, APC capture, and vignette production.
Thought for 13s
Yes. I would frame this as a dual-track S:DISS-X Theory & Practice Project.
The purpose is not simply to explain S:DISS-X. The purpose is to let people see how S:DISS-X works in small, real exchanges, then learn how each move supports RightACTION through attention, restraint, timing, and fit.
Working Project Frame
Project Title:
S:DISS-X: Theory & Practice — Finding RightACTION Through Generative Inquiry
Core Purpose:
To bring S:DISS-X into the foreground as both a theory of helping and a practical method for guiding people toward RightACTION without rushing, projecting, over-advising, or solving too early.
This project has two streams:
- Rewrite the S:DISS-X book so the theory is clear, teachable, and aligned with current PA@LeadU / AGGI-POS canon.
- Create a practice vignette library using short live exchanges with ChatGPT, scored with (OPT)IMULL, then preserved as APC source material for later LLM-WIKI / AGGI-POS use.
Deliverable 1: S:DISS-X Orientation for New Learners
This is the introductory teaching piece for people with no background in S:DISS-X.
Purpose of the Orientation
People need to understand that S:DISS-X is not a questioning technique. It is a selective inquiry system.
It helps the helper decide when to:
- notice
- mirror
- pause
- permit
- probe
- prompt
- perturb
The key idea is this:
S:DISS-X helps us avoid leading too soon. It helps us meet the person, the moment, and the problem at the right level of readiness.
Simple Definition
S:DISS-X means Selective Dynamic Inquiry System Skills.
It is a set of seven helping moves used selectively, not mechanically:
- PING — lightly touch the field without forcing meaning.
- PROBE — explore what has already begun to appear.
- PROMPT — invite movement toward possible action or meaning.
- PERMIT — create space, safety, and choice.
- PERTURB — gently disturb an assumption, pattern, or stuck frame.
- PAUSE — protect the space from premature movement.
- PACE — match the person’s readiness, energy, and timing.
The “S” matters because the skill is not in using all seven. The skill is in selecting the right move for the person, problem, moment, and context.
Deliverable 2: Theory Backbone
This is the deeper explanation behind the practice.
Core Theory Statement
S:DISS-X assumes that people often do not arrive with a clear problem. They arrive with a signal, pressure, fragment, complaint, hesitation, mood, or unfinished thought.
The helper’s first job is not to solve.
The first job is to help the person and the situation become clear enough that RightACTION can emerge.
Supporting Ideas
S:DISS-X sits inside the larger LeadU frame:
SK² + PCGL² + WE = S²A w/ S:DISS-X for SPARC Outcomes
In plain terms:
Self-knowledge, purpose-centric generative living and leadership, and WELLTH help create Self × Situational Awareness. S:DISS-X then becomes the inquiry system that helps move awareness toward SPARC outcomes: Satisfaction, Purpose, Awareness, Results, and Competent Confidence.
The important practical point:
RightACTION is not just the next action. It is the fitting action.
It must fit the person, the context, the resources, the timing, the readiness, and the true problem.
Deliverable 3: (OPT)IMULL Teaching Frame
This needs to be introduced before the live practice so viewers understand how each exchange will be scored.
Simple Definition
(OPT)IMULL is a practical scoring lens for deciding whether an inquiry move is worth making now.
It helps us evaluate whether a response has enough fit, timing, usefulness, and leverage to support RightACTION.
Working Definition
(OPT)IMULL includes:
- OPPOR+UNITY — Is there a real opening for useful movement?
- Position — Where is the person standing now in relation to the issue?
- Tension / TRENs — What kind of movement is present: transaction, transition, transformation, or something else?
- Importance — Does this matter enough to stay with?
- Motivation — Is there energy or desire to engage?
- Urgency — Is there time pressure or consequence?
- Leverage — Would this move create meaningful gain?
- Low-hanging fruit — Is there a small, accessible step available?
For early learners, I would begin with the shorter form:
IMULL = Importance, Motivation, Urgency, Leverage, Low-hanging fruit.
Then later add the “OPT” layer as they become more capable.
Teaching Use
After each short exchange, we score:
Did the response increase clarity?
Did it reduce pressure?
Did it avoid premature advice?
Did it reveal the next useful place to attend?
Did it move toward RightACTION?
Deliverable 4: Live Practice Lab Format
This is the recorded “real-time lab.”
Purpose of the Lab
The lab shows S:DISS-X in action through very short exchanges. The goal is not to impress people with a long coaching session. The goal is to slow the process down so they can see the thinking behind each move.
Session Structure
Each practice session can follow this pattern:
1 Set the frame “We are going to use a tiny exchange to demonstrate S:DISS-X. We are not trying to solve a major life problem. We are learning how to notice, select, and respond.”
2 Begin with a small conversational opening Example:“Hi, how are you?”
3 ChatGPT gives a short response Example: “I’m here and ready. Something small may be enough to begin.”
4 Second human move Example: “Is there something important to chat about?”
5 ChatGPT responds with a light opening Example: “There may be. It does not have to be large. A small pressure, hesitation, or unfinished thought can be enough.”
6 Stop after 2–3 exchanges Then explain the S:DISS-X moves.
7 Score the exchange with IMULL Identify Importance, Motivation, Urgency, Leverage, and Low-hanging fruit.
8 Capture the vignette as APC source material Preserve the transcript, commentary, scoring, and canon notes.
Deliverable 5: Tiny Problem Vignette Library
This becomes the practice library for APC and later LLM-WIKI use.
Each vignette should be small, concrete, and safe.
Good Early Vignette Topics
- “I keep avoiding an email.”
- “I have too many things open.”
- “I need to make a decision, but I keep circling.”
- “I said yes too quickly.”
- “I feel behind but don’t know where to start.”
- “I’m annoyed and don’t want to overreact.”
- “I need to ask for help, but I hesitate.”
These are tiny enough for demonstration but rich enough to show S:DISS-X.
Each Vignette Should Produce
- Raw transcript
- S:DISS-X move-by-move annotation
- IMULL scorecard
- RightACTION analysis
- Teaching note
- APC source file
- Possible video script segment
Deliverable 6: APC Source Document Format
Each practice lab should generate a reusable source entry.
Suggested APC Vignette Source Format
Title:
Tiny Problem Vignette: Avoiding an Email
Situation:
The person is avoiding a simple email but feels pressure building.
Raw Exchange:
Include the exact 2–3 line exchange.
S:DISS-X Moves Used:
Identify whether the response used PING, PROBE, PERMIT, PAUSE, PACE, PROMPT, or PERTURB.
Why This Move Fit:
Explain why this was the right move at this point.
IMULL Score:
Briefly score Importance, Motivation, Urgency, Leverage, and Low-hanging fruit.
RightACTION Direction:
Name the smallest fitting next action.
Canon Note:
State the principle this vignette preserves.
Training Use:
Explain how this can be used in video, live teaching, or practice.
Deliverable 7: Book Rewrite Track
The book rewrite should run alongside the practice lab, not separate from it.
The book should be rewritten around the living practice, not just the theory.
Proposed Book Structure
Part One: Why S:DISS-X Matters
Introduce the problem of premature advice, over-questioning, over-leading, and solving before the real problem has appeared.
Part Two: The S:DISS-X System
Define the seven skills and explain why selectivity matters.
Part Three: RightACTION
Show how S:DISS-X helps people move toward fitting action, not just fast action.
Part Four: (OPT)IMULL Practice
Teach people how to score moments for importance, motivation, urgency, leverage, and low-hanging fruit.
Part Five: Practice Vignettes
Use tiny examples from the live labs.
Part Six: Advanced Practice
Move from tiny problems into more complex helping situations involving readiness, resistance, tension, identity, purpose, and CCR@VUCA.
Suggested 3–4 Week Project Arc
Week 1: Orientation and Tiny Practice
Focus: basic explanation, first 5–7 tiny vignettes, IMULL scoring.
Output: intro module, first practice videos, first APC source files.
Week 2: Skill Differentiation
Focus: PING vs PROBE, PERMIT vs PROMPT, PAUSE vs PACE, PERTURB with restraint.
Output: annotated examples showing why one move fits better than another.
Week 3: RightACTION and (OPT)IMULL
Focus: show how S:DISS-X moves from awareness to action without forcing action.
Output: stronger practice cases, scoring templates, book chapter drafts.
Week 4: APC / LLM-WIKI Capture
Focus: organize vignettes into reusable source material.
Output: source manifest, vignette library, book rewrite map, training sequence.
Clean Purpose Statement
Here is the project purpose in polished form:
The purpose of S:DISS-X: Theory & Practice is to help people see, learn, and practice a selective inquiry system that supports RightACTION. Instead of rushing to advice, answers, or problem-solving, S:DISS-X teaches helpers to notice what is emerging, choose the fitting inquiry move, and support action that matches the person, the problem, the timing, and the context. Through short live exchanges, IMULL scoring, and APC source capture, this project will build both a rewritten book and a reusable practice library for future LeadU training and AGGI-POS development.
Clean Opening Script for Session 1
You could begin the first recording this way:
“Welcome to S:DISS-X: Theory & Practice.
Over the next few weeks, we are going to bring S:DISS-X into the foreground. We are not starting with long lectures or complex cases. We are starting small.
S:DISS-X is a selective inquiry system. It helps us decide how to respond when someone brings us a concern, a pressure, a hesitation, or a problem that may not yet be fully clear.
Most helping goes wrong because we move too fast. We ask too much. We advise too soon. We solve before the real issue has appeared.
In this lab, we will slow the process down. We will use very short exchanges with ChatGPT to show what the S:DISS-X thought and action process looks like. After each exchange, we will pause, name the move, and score it using IMULL: Importance, Motivation, Urgency, Leverage, and Low-hanging fruit.
The goal is simple: to help people find and solve for RightACTION. Not just any action. The fitting action.”
The cleanest operating frame is this:
Theory explains the system. Practice shows the system. IMULL scores the moment. APC preserves the learning. The book organizes the canon
Mike Jay
Ok something not easy is that we originally referred to S:DISS-X as having seven skills… but shifted for a more leveraging and precise definition as having 7 “forms” of inquiry.
Skills develop from that and I can actually see that you sometimes refer to particular skills which are not the 7 forms and that’s an opening we can discuss later after this summer sprint with S:DISS-X…
Just important to note the distinction between the new forms and the old skills;)
Second when we are explaining OPPOR+UNITY AS the “O”…
OPPOR+UNITY comes from my legacy COACH2 model of coaching although it was not yet precise enough for my first book: COACH2 the Bottom Line in 1999
If you check canon you will see OPPORTUNITY which is an important but background model in (OPT)IMULL like (Helping) is in ARIA(H)
Your are dead on correct in that because (OPT) is background and unspoken indirect guidance for more complex work that IMULL is the focus and an easy way for people to get started in practice.
ChatGPT
Noted. This changes the language and the teaching architecture in an important way.
The clean correction is:
S:DISS-X is not “seven skills.” It is seven forms of inquiry.
Skills are developed through practicing those forms. That distinction gives us more room later to name particular micro-skills, moves, disciplines, and sensitivities that arise inside each form without confusing them with the seven canonical forms themselves.
So the corrected teaching language should be:
S:DISS-X = Selective Dynamic Inquiry System Forms
Or, more carefully:
S:DISS-X is the selective use of seven dynamic inquiry forms: PING, PROBE, PROMPT, PERMIT, PERTURB, PAUSE, and PACE.
Then we can say:
“Each form can generate many specific skills. For example, mirroring, noticing, timing, silence, reframing, permission-giving, and assumption-testing may all become skills, but they are not the seven forms themselves.”
That is a useful distinction for the summer sprint because it prevents category confusion.
On (OPT)IMULL, the correction should be:
OPPOR+UNITY is the “O” in (OPT)IMULL.
It comes from your legacy COACH2 model and remains a background generative frame. It is not the beginner-facing entry point.
For teaching, we should say:
IMULL is the foreground practice tool.
It helps beginners score the moment through:
- Importance
- Motivation
- Urgency
- Leverage
- Low-hanging fruit
Then later:
(OPT) is the background guidance layer.
It helps more advanced practitioners sense OPPOR+UNITY, Position, and Tension/TRENs without overloading the beginner.
That gives us a cleaner progression:
Beginner level: IMULL
Intermediate level: (OPT)IMULL
Advanced level: S:DISS-X + (OPT)IMULL + RightACTION inside CCR@VUCA
I would now revise the earlier project frame this way:
Theory explains the seven forms. Practice develops the skills. IMULL scores the moment. (OPT) quietly guides deeper fit. APC preserves the learning. The book organizes the canon.
And the corrected purpose statement becomes:
The purpose of S:DISS-X: Theory & Practice is to help people see, learn, and practice seven forms of inquiry that support RightACTION. Instead of rushing to advice, answers, or problem-solving, S:DISS-X teaches helpers to notice what is emerging, select the fitting inquiry form, and develop the skills needed to support action that matches the person, the problem, the timing, and the context. Through short live exchanges, IMULL scoring, and APC source capture, this project will build both a rewritten book and a reusable practice library for future LeadU training and AGGI-POS development.
Mike Jay
I can work with that for now… I believe in the book I do differentiate forms and I’ve noticed that you add skills in the place of be seven forms at times and it’s important to recognize and regulate that for cajon purposes without stifling your creativity that I notice… thx!
ChatGPT
Yes. That is the right balance.
The canon rule should be:
The seven are forms of inquiry. Skills emerge within and across the forms.
So when I notice or generate something like mirroring, pacing language, permission-giving, naming tension, holding silence, or soft perturbation, I should treat those as practice skills or micro-moves, not as replacements for the seven S:DISS-X forms.
For canon purposes, I’ll regulate the language this way going forward:
Canonical layer: seven forms of inquiry
Practice layer: skills that develop from using the forms
Teaching layer: examples, vignettes, and micro-moves
Creative layer: new distinctions that may later become APC source entries, but only after we name them properly
That preserves precision without flattening the generative field.
Mike Jay
Ok we are set here until I’m back for a short 2-3 line demo, what we call then an AAR: After Action Review which may not be in the canon or APC yet but we will discuss it.
One thing, if I include you by letting you here the debrief (AAR) is that just using the microphone but for me it may be best to feed you the transcript after zoom or the audio file is done so I’m not juggling too many irons in the fire while on live video
ChatGPT
Yes, the cleaner workflow is to record the live demo without trying to involve me in real time, then feed me the transcript or audio afterward.
For your first few S:DISS-X practice labs, I would use this sequence:
- Do the short 2–3 line demo live.
- Do your immediate AAR verbally on Zoom.
- Export the transcript, or upload the audio afterward.
- I help turn it into:
- cleaned transcript
- AAR notes
- S:DISS-X form analysis
- IMULL scoring
- RightACTION teaching note
APC source file candidateUsing the microphone live would probably add friction. It may split your attention between teaching, recording, managing Zoom, thinking through S:DISS-X, and checking whether I am tracking the exchange.
For now, the better operating rule is:
Live session first. Capture second. AAR third. APC extraction fourth.
That keeps the live teaching clean and lets the source-building happen after the fact.
Mike Jay
Got it
Chatgpt
Good. We have the working setup:
Live demo → AAR → transcript/audio → S:DISS-X analysis → IMULL scoring → RightACTION note → APC candidate.
When you return with the first 2–3 line demo, we can keep it small and build the practice library one clean source particle at a time.
Join us,
Our team at Living & Loving Inquiry
Mike R Jay & Gary Gile
Founders @ The NEW LeadU
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You, Me, and We @LeadU
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.
