Reading the Room: Group Dynamics for Coaches and Leaders

chapter THREE

Level II: Domains of Communication

Affect, Power, and Meaning

In Chapter Two, you began to learn how to read the room at Level I, the action stances (move, follow, oppose, bystand); Level I is the first component of the behavioral profile that will become useful when complete. This chapter explores Level II, communication domains: affect, power, and meaning.

We never just make a move, a follow, an oppose, or a bystand. We make it in the domain or language of affect, power, or meaning. Figure 1.1 located these domains in the context of our broader model of structural dynamics. I call this level “domains” to call attention to how the three terms describe both the territory where actions originate and their aim or purpose. One might ...