Have you ever walked out of a conversation thinking, "WHY did I say that?"
Maybe your boss hit a raw nerve, and you blurted out more than you meant to—or blustered defensively. Maybe someone steamrolled a meeting, and you found yourself sniping, or making angry comments.
What if, instead of reacting on autopilot, you had a simple tool to pause, breathe, and respond with clarity? This video tip is for you!
💭 Introduction: You know those times when you react in a conversation and later wished you’d handled it differently? Creating a pause can help you step back and regain control before responding.
💭 Main Tip: A pause can be just taking a deep breath in the moment. It can also be physically stepping away to give yourself time to process. Saying something like, “Let me think about that,” or even popping to the bathroom can help you shift from reactivity to clarity.
💭 Example: Imagine a colleague gives you unexpected critical feedback. Your instinct might be to push back or defend yourself. Instead, you could say, “I appreciate you sharing that—I’d like to take a moment to think about what you’ve said before responding.” This simple phrase buys you time to move from a reactive state to a thoughtful one – and you may have a phrase that works better for you.
💭 Over to You: This week, my invitation to you is to experiment with deliberately creating a pause in conversations—whether that’s a deep breath, stepping away, or using a phrase like, “I’d like to think about that.” Notice how it shifts the conversation.
💭 Closing: Pausing is not about avoiding—it’s about giving yourself space to respond with clarity rather than reacting on autopilot. Let me know how this works for you!
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