Communicating Under Pressure Guide

Inspired by Nancy Duarte’s piece for MIT Sloan, our Communicating Under Pressure Guide maps four prominent patterns leadership styles use to navigate high-stress situations. Leaders and teams alike can use this quick tool for self-improvement by identifying the features that define their stress response and begin to mitigate its negative impacts through a recalibrated approach.

The four patterns include:

1. Tighten Preparation
2. Take Control
3. Hand Off the Thinking
4. Explore in Real Time

After recognizing which pattern best matches your response, The Communicating Under Pressure Guide outlines how the signals you’re sending to colleagues, customers, audiences, and stakeholders under pressure are impacting your efforts.

With newfound clarity, apply actionable takeaways and strategies in your next high-stakes meeting to help re-focus your stress response and limit its effects.

This guide is useful for:

• L&D teams navigating last-minute strategy sessions and board-level budget approvals
• HR departments tasked with defusing tense situations and circulating sensitive internal messaging
• Sales teams handling high-value accounts, Fortune 500 buyers, and staying calm and composed for enterprise customers
• Leaders and executives who shoulder immense organizational pressure while engaging in sink-or-swim decision-making
• Anyone seeking to undergo leadership development training to advance their career or build influence at work.

Take back control in high-pressure situations. Learn how to maintain measured communication that invites collaboration, centers your team, and charts the most prudent path forward.

For more information and free resources visit The Duarte Guide to Leadership Development.