A product squad’s updates kept spiraling into blame. After rehearsing curiosity statements and explicit alignment checks, the team tried a new cadence: intentions first, risks second, commitments last. Within two sprints, interruptions dropped, estimates stabilized, and retros celebrated learning over perfection. The breakthrough wasn’t magic; it was practice. The team now opens tough topics by paraphrasing impact before proposing fixes, a small routine that softened egos and accelerated delivery.
A vendor manager dreaded price talks that always felt adversarial. In role‑play, she practiced naming constraints, expanding variables, and trading value, not positions. She entered the next negotiation with prepared questions and fallback packages. The outcome: modest savings, stronger service terms, and a partner who volunteered quarterly improvement reviews. Her director noticed a calmer tone and clearer emails. She credits rehearsal, debrief candor, and a tiny script taped beside her monitor.
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