Do you freeze at the front desk? Strategies for front desk staff

What do you reach for when things get tense?

In this episode, Denzil opens up about what happens when pressure hits, like a tough phone call or a frustrated patient, and her brain suddenly goes blank. (Been there?)

She reflects on a conversation with her colleague ⁠Meghan Menzel⁠, ⁠Jane App’s⁠ Training Lead and a longtime clinic front desk pro, about the high-stress moments that come with the job — and how to find your footing when your nervous system is spinning.

Denzil shares some thoughts on:

• Why pressure-cooker moments are just part of the front desk reality
• The L.E.A.P. model: a simple rhythm for responding to tough interactions
• Go-to phrases you can keep in your back pocket (no perfect script needed)
• How tone, pace, and presence can often say more than the actual words

It’s an honest, practical listen for anyone who’s ever felt frozen in a tricky moment and wants to feel a little steadier next time.

Have a favourite phrase or approach that helps when things get tense? We’d love to hear it. Drop us a line at [e-mail].

And if you want more reflections like these from Denzil, subscribe to her bi-weekly newsletter.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Oh hey, it's Denzil here.
When things get tense, I freeze.
Some people get louder, somespring into action.
I kind of shut down.
It's like my body's in the roombut my brain is still loading.
This used to happen a lot whenI worked at the front desk.

(00:23):
Maybe it was ath phone call ora patient who was rightfully
upset.
That moment when somebody'senergy comes in hot and even
though I wanted to stay calm andhelpful, I'd find myself
totally blank.
The words just wouldn't come.
Or they did come out weird offand not at all what I meant.

(00:44):
I wish I could say thosemoments are rare, but they're
not.
And if you've worked at thefront desk you know those
pressure cooker moments are thejob they find you when you're
behind on three things alreadyand someone's asking for a
fourth, and unless you've gotsome kind of anchor, some tiny
thing to reach for, your nervoussystem just does what it does.

(01:07):
That's part of what I talkedabout with my colleague, megan
Menzel on the latest episode ofRadio Front Desk.
She's someone I always learnfrom.
These days she's Jane'straining lead, but for years she
ran a clinic's front desk soshe knows what it's like to be
in it, like really in it.
We covered a lot of ground, butone thing I keep turning over

(01:29):
is this idea that sometimes ithelps to have a rhythm not a
script or a magic phrase, just arhythm you can hold on to when
your insides are flipping.
Right now I'm loving the LEAPmodel.
When things get tense and Iknow acronyms aren't for
everyone the LEAP model whenthings get tense and I know
acronyms aren't for everyone, Iusually don't remember them

(01:49):
either, but this one is actuallystuck.
It stands for listen, empathize,agree and partner.
And here's how it plays outListen, let them talk, don't
interrupt or rush in to fixthings.
Even a few seconds of quiet cansay I'm here, I'm listening.
Empathize, name the feeling.

(02:10):
You don't have to solve it,just show them that you see it.
A simple that soundsfrustrating actually can go a
long way.
Agree, find even one thing youboth want, something like we
both want this to go smoothly,and that can soften the whole
tone.
And finally, partner Bring theminto what's next.

(02:34):
For instance, what if we triedthis together?
That phrase opens a door thatmight have felt closed a second
ago.
It's not perfect and it won'twork like a charm every time,
but it gives me a path when I'motherwise spiraling in place.
Find your words and keep them atthe tip of your tongue.
Megan and I also talked aboutthe importance of finding go-to

(02:58):
phrases that feel authentic toyou, so here's a few that have
worked for me lately.
When you say this, what Iunderstand is this Is that right
or yeah?
I can see why that would feelfrustrating.
Let's take a sec and see whatwe can do together, and maybe
even can I walk you through whatusually happens next.

(03:21):
I mean, sometimes I don't evensay them exactly as planned, but
having a few trusty wordstucked in my back pocket makes
me feel a little more grounded.
And sometimes it's not even thewords, it's just how you show
up while saying them.
It's the tone, the pace, eventhe way your face looks when you
say it.
People can feel it when you'rewith them, even if you're

(03:41):
nervous.
Anyway, that's what I've beenthinking about lately.
I'm still a work in progress,still freezing up, sometimes
still coming back to theselittle tools that help me feel
like I don't have to be perfect,just present.
So I'm curious what's a freezerapproach that helps you when
things get tricky at the frontdesk?
I'd love to learn what's workedfor you.
Chat soon.