#143 - The Power of Naming Emotions with Doug Noll

#143 - The Power of Naming Emotions with Doug Noll

From The Workplace Communication Podcast by Lindsay Lapaquette

June 7, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 143

About this episode

Doug Noll discusses the importance of naming emotions in workplace communication and how it can transform high-stakes conversations.

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…

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Host: Lindsay Lapaquette

Guest: Doug Noll

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