You've built an incredible influence toolkit - persuasion triad, objection handling, collaborative negotiation, feedback, and conflict management. But what happens when crisis hits?
Imagine: a key client is furious, your project just failed publicly, or your team is in revolt. You have 90 seconds to respond before damage becomes permanent.
Engagement Message
What's your biggest fear when facing a sudden crisis?
Here's the reality: in crisis moments, people aren't thinking clearly. They're emotional, reactive, and looking for someone to blame or someone to trust.
Your response in those first 90 seconds determines which category you fall into. Get it right, and you become the leader everyone turns to.
Engagement Message
Recall a crisis you've seen—who handled it well, and what single action made the difference?
The secret is the CAD framework: Calm, Acknowledge, Data. This three-step approach keeps you grounded when everything else is chaos.
Think of it as your crisis communication GPS - it guides you to safety even when visibility is zero.
Engagement Message
Which step do you think would be hardest for you under pressure?
Calm means managing your own nervous system first. Before you say anything, take one deep breath. Speak slower than feels natural.
Remember low-tone mirroring from our conflict lesson? It's crucial here. Your calm energy will spread to others, creating space for rational thinking.
Engagement Message
Where in your body do you feel stress when things go wrong?
Acknowledge means quickly validating the concern without accepting blame. "I understand this is incredibly frustrating" or "This is clearly not what we expected."
This isn't about taking responsibility - it's about showing you grasp the seriousness. People need to feel heard before they can hear you.
