When Someone Took Over the Session (and I Froze Inside)
How I learned to hear resistance as feedback, not failure
Resistance isn’t the problem.
Misunderstanding is.
The Moment It Happened
I was facilitating a session and introducing an exercise.
You know the drill:
I explained the why.
Then the what.
Then the how.
I even checked in:
“Is this clear?”
Heads nodded. All good.
So they started.
And then…one person took over.
They spoke loudly.
Over others.
The room lost focus.
People got frustrated.
Not because they didn’t like the exercise —but because they didn’t get it.
The resistance wasn’t about the idea.
It was about the understanding.
And suddenly, I felt it:
That tight moment inside.
The one where you wonder,
“What did I miss?”
What I Chose To Listen To
Instead of reacting, I listened closely.
Not just to what they said —but how they said it.
Their words were clear if you knew what to hear:
“Can you say that again?”
“It doesn’t really click for me.”
“I can’t hear the point.”
Auditory words.
Again and again.
And then it landed for me.
What Shifted
I paused the group and said:
“Can I explain this once more?
I think I missed something in how I shared it.”
They nodded.
The first time, I had explained the exercise visually:
Flipchart. Structure. Arrows. Diagrams.
Lots of see, look, picture this language.
This time, I explained it with sound:
Step by step. Spoken rhythm. Clear verbal flow.
Using words like hear, listen, notice, does this resonate?
And suddenly…
The person smiled.
Their face changed.
“Ah — now it makes sense.
Thank you for listening to what I needed.”
The group followed.
The exercise flowed.
Brain Nugget ( Neuroscience Behind The Moment)
Every brain understands the world in its own way.
Some people make sense of things by seeing.
Others by hearing.
Others by feeling or thinking it through.
This comes from life experience, habits, beliefs —
and how the brain learned to process information.
So when resistance shows up, it’s often not disagreement.
It’s a mismatch in how the message landed.
Clarity isn’t about what makes sense to you.
It’s about what makes sense to them.
Takeaway
Resistance is not failure.
It’s feedback.
And when you listen to how people understand — not just what they say — everything changes.
Your Turn:
When someone takes over or pushes back:
Pause
Listen to their words carefully
Notice how they’re trying to understand
Adjust your language — not your authority
What frozen moment have you had — where resistance was really a request for clarity?
If this sparked your interest and you want to go deeper,
comment MORE below.
And if you share your situation,
I’ll respond to you personally.
