Choose the strongest first move when a high-status listener interrupts a presentation.
The interruption lands before the main evidence slide. The CFO interrupts Priya at minute two: The payback math is soft. What is her strongest first move? Take one quiet breath, acknowledge the concern, and bridge to the specific evidence slide. Strong. It combines regulation, respect, and control of the path. The breath keeps arousal usable; the bridge uses rehearsed retrieval instead of improvising defensively. Say the team can discuss finance questions at the end and continue with the original agenda. Too rigid. It protects the agenda but ignores a live executive concern. Under pressure, control comes from integrating the question,…
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