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Books & Papers

Dialogic Actions, The Four Player Model

Jim Tebbe

Jim Tebbe presents David Kantor's Four Player Model; the fundamental dialogic actions of Move, Follow, Oppose, and Bystand. This 32-minute conference presentation explores how understanding these structural dynamics helps practitioners read conversations and intervene more effectively in groups.

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Jim Tebbe presents an in-depth exploration of David Kantor's Four Player Model, a foundational framework for understanding the structural dynamics of conversation. The model identifies four fundamental dialogic actions: Move (initiating direction), Follow (supporting and building), Oppose (challenging and correcting), and Bystand (observing and reflecting). Tebbe explains how these actions interact to create either productive dialogue or stuck, repetitive patterns. When groups lack certain actions; such as constructive opposition or reflective bystanding; conversations can become one-sided or remain superficial. The presentation shows practitioners how to recognise which actions are present or absent in any conversation, and how facilitators can either model missing actions themselves or create conditions for others to contribute them. This 32-minute recording provides practical tools for reading group dynamics in real time. The Four Player Model appears throughout the Academy's literature as a foundational framework for understanding dialogue structure.

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Books & Papers

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Facilitation and practiceFacilitation models and technique

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