Meetings 10 Difficult topics

It's easy to take things personally during a meeting, especially when everyone is working hard to get to a solution. Learn how to phrase emotional responses professionally.

Introduction

How can you phrase the following responses in a more calm, neutral manner? 

  • “You're blaming me for this mistake? That's not fair!”
  • “That's not my fault. I wasn't even on that project.”
  • “You always criticize my work!”
Warm Up

  • Have you ever received feedback or heard a comment during a meeting that felt personal?

  • How do people in your culture usually handle criticism in meetings?

Language

Look at the following phrases and then read the scenarios. What can you say for each scenario? 

Function Phrases
To Stay Calm & Neutral
  • “Thanks for the feedback—I’ll take a look at that.”
  • “That’s a fair point. Let’s figure out how to improve it.”
  • “I see where you’re coming from.”
  • “Let’s focus on finding a solution that works for everyone.”
To Deflect Emotion / Stay Solution-Focused
  • “I understand there’s frustration. Let’s move forward.”
  • “Let’s not get stuck on blame—what can we do next?”
  • “Instead of pointing fingers, let’s look at how we can fix it.”
  • “What’s our next step from here?”
To Encourage Different Opinions: 

  • “Let’s make sure we’re hearing all perspectives before we decide.”

  • “I’d love to hear a counterpoint or alternative view.”

  • “What potential downsides or risks should we consider?”

  • “Are there any concerns we haven’t addressed yet?”
To Invite Caution or Critical Thinking

  • “Before we all agree, should we challenge this idea a bit?”

  • “Let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment.”

  • “Are we missing something by choosing this so quickly?”

  • “Have we looked at all our options here?”

Scenario 1: A team is reviewing a rough draft of a client presentation. One team member criticizes the visuals, saying, "This just doesn’t look professional at all."

Scenario 2: A project was delayed, and emotions are running high. Someone says, “Well, it wouldn’t have been late if the marketing team had delivered on time.”

Scenario 3: The team is close to finalizing a strategy, but one person has been quiet, and others seem too quick to agree. 

Scenario 4: The team agrees almost immediately on a new plan without much discussion. 

Practice

Read the following roleplay with your teacher and respond to the question.

Jordan (Ops):
So, to keep things simple, we’re recommending launching just one new product—plain, high-protein milk. It's easiest to produce, minimal line changes needed, and we can hit shelves fast.

Maya (Marketing):
I’m going to push back on that a little, Jordan. This idea might be easy to implement—but it completely ignores what we’ve been hearing from the market research. People aren’t just looking for functional milk—they want innovation. Flavors. Sustainability. Options that feel modern. A single plain SKU doesn’t do that.

Jordan:
I get that, but we’re working with real bottlenecks. We can’t magically scale up production overnight just to launch five niche flavors.

Maya:
Right, but this isn’t about five flavors. This is about thinking strategically. If we recommend something safe and boring, we’re doing the client a disservice. They came to us so we could help them stand out—not play it safe.

Jordan (defensive):
So are you saying operations doesn’t care about strategy? 

As a meeting facilitator, how would you respond?

We have looked at ways of diffusing awkward situations. Staying calm, remaining objective and focused, being open to different opinions and voices and supporting critical thinking are all useful skills.

When you reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, what area would you like to develop the most and why? 

Next we will look at the importance of follow-up communication post-meeting. 

Having a successful meeting is one thing; maintaining and building on this momentum is another!