"But here's what I've learned: the most powerful response isn't to match their energy or disappear into the background. It's to stay calm and use specific phrases that completely flip the script. Growing up, I watched my father navigate thirty years of sales management with varying degrees of success. Some days he'd come home victorious after defusing a tense situation."
"1. "I need a moment to think about what you've said" This phrase is pure gold when someone's trying to rush you into a corner. It immediately slows down the interaction and puts you back in control of the pace. When someone's being aggressive, they're often counting on your immediate reaction. They want you flustered, reactive, maybe even defensive. By taking a pause, you're refusing to play by their rules. You're essentially saying, "Your urgency isn't my emergency.""
Intimidation in meetings triggers fight-or-flight reactions, but matching aggression or retreating both cede power. Calm, deliberate language and strategic pauses slow the interaction and shift control back to the targeted person. Simple phrases such as requesting time to think or asking for clarification interrupt the aggressor's tempo and expose their reliance on immediate reactions. Pausing refuses the imposed urgency and centers decision-making. Practiced use of these phrases can defuse tension, reframe power dynamics, and create space for reasoned responses rather than emotional reactivity.
Read at Silicon Canals
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