Imagine walking into a tense meeting where emotions are running high and instead of trying to find the perfect words, you say just two simple ones that instantly shift the entire dynamic. It sounds almost too simple to work, but for Doug Noll, it’s a proven method grounded in neuroscience and tested in some of the most extreme environments imaginable.
After 22 years as a trial lawyer, Doug Noll walked away from the courtroom to become a peacemaker, taking his work into maximum-security prisons, where he trained individuals serving life sentences for murder to become mediators and peacekeepers. Today, he brings those same battle-tested skills into boardrooms and leadership teams, helping organizations navigate conflict, rebuild trust, and transform how people communicate at work.
On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we’re talking with Doug Noll, about the power of naming emotions and why most workplace communication advice misses the mark. Join us as we learn how to recognize what’s really happening beneath the surface in high-stakes conversations, how to answer the brain’s three subconscious questions, and how to shift from trying to control conversations to creating emotional safety that accelerates trust, collaboration, and results.
Leadership tips you won’t want to miss:
🎙️ Regulating your own nervous system before stepping into high-stakes conversations
🎙️ Assessing emotional cues in others instead of relying solely on their words
🎙️ Validating colleagues by naming their emotions to reduce defensiveness
🎙️ Practicing affect labeling in low-pressure situations to build confidence
🎙️ Cultivating psychological safety by consistently making others feel seen and heard
Doug Noll is a lawyer-turned-peacemaker whose work has carried him from training murderers to become peacemakers in maximum security prisons to the US Congressional Budget Office.
If you’re looking to move beyond surface-level communication and lead with emotional awareness that transforms conflict into connection, then this episode is for you!
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🎧 Listen to the episode: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/
For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.
Doug Noll’s contact information:
Other: Substack
Lindsay’s contact information:
