The SOS Framework: Navigate Any Difficult Discussion with Ease

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Ever freeze up before difficult conversations? That stops today. 

Walking into challenging discussions with genuine confidence isn't about memorizing scripts or manipulating outcomes—it's about having a reliable framework that honors both parties while moving toward resolution. The SOS framework (Seen-Options-Safe) transforms how you approach every tough conversation in your life, whether with partners, colleagues, clients, children, or strangers.

The framework begins with making people feel truly seen. Through simple validation statements like "I know this is frustrating" or "I can see how overwhelming this is," you acknowledge their experience without judgment. This validation acts as a bridge, creating the connection necessary for productive dialogue.

From there, offering clear options prevents the conversation from stalling. When people feel backed into corners, they resist. By presenting two or more choices you're comfortable with, you empower them while still moving toward resolution. This balanced approach honors their agency while maintaining progress.

The final component—creating safety—is what distinguishes transformative conversations from merely transactional ones. By explicitly stating your continued support and clarifying that the relationship itself isn't threatened (when appropriate), you build the trust necessary for honest exchange.

What makes this approach revolutionary is its universal application. The podcast walks through real examples—from breaking up with a partner to negotiating with clients who can't afford your services—demonstrating how the same principles apply across contexts. By pre-framing conversations, setting clear intentions, and following the SOS structure, you'll find yourself handling life's most challenging moments with a steadiness you never thought possible.

Ready to transform your approach to difficult conversations? Start applying the SOS framework today and watch as your relationships deepen through honest, productive communication.

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Themes: Emotional Mastery, Mindset, Storytelling, Confidence, Health & Productivity, Creativity, Communication Skills, Business, Movement, Meditation, Mindfulness, Manifestation, Resilience, Letting Go, Surrender, Feminine Energy, Masculine Energy, Love, Personal Growth.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
What if you could walk into the hardest
conversations with a calmconfidence, because you know
that you have proper frameworksin place to navigate any
conversation, no matter how deepand how difficult?
Would that be something thatwould make you the best version

(00:27):
of yourself?
Because this is something thatyou can carry through all areas
of life, whether it's hardconversations in our
relationships, their friends,their family, their intimate
partners, hard conversations atwork in our career, with our

(00:50):
superiors, with our teammates,maybe even having to let
teammates go.
What if it's hard conversationswith our children?
What if it's hard conversationswith our children?
What about hard conversationswith strangers?

(01:15):
One thing's for sure there willbe moments in life where you
will have to have hardconversations, and I know.
For me, I'd rather walk in withcalm confidence than have
concealed chaos.
So let's talk about an SOSframework that I've created

(01:42):
specifically for hardconversations, and these work
because they are growth mindsetfocused.
It allows every conversation tohave opportunity for progress.
It works because it keepseverybody accountable and has
clear expectations no blame.

(02:04):
And has clear expectations noblame.
It works because it establishestrust so that everybody knows
where they stand, and it worksbecause it creates a level of
respect where the human comesbefore the problem.
This is how you can walk intoany and every hard conversation

(02:25):
with calm confidence.
All you need is the SOSframework.
The first S stands for seen.
Everybody wants to be seen,heard and understood their core

(02:49):
values.
So how can we help the personin this conversation feel seen?
We can do that throughvalidating comments.
We can validate them in wayslike I know it is so frustrating
to have to deal with this rightnow, or I know just how

(03:18):
inconvenient it can be to haveto experience this while you're
also experiencing other things.
Say, I know this is tough rightnow.
The words I know are verypowerful for allowing someone to
see that you are witnessingtheir current experience.
Now ensure that when you usethe words I know, you are coming

(03:45):
from a place of genuineexpression of understanding to
the best ability that you can,because I know and I can see
just how overwhelming it is tohave to schedule your personal
life events around your workschedule, because that's a true

(04:16):
statement.
So let them be seen and thenyou go and move forward with O
options this or that.
Give them two options you areboth okay with.
Allow them to choose.
We can either schedule this instages, or we can either go on

(04:48):
Monday or on Thursday, offer twodifferent options that both
work for you.
This way, either thing thatthey choose, it is moving you

(05:08):
forward in a direction that iswhere you'd like to see things
go right and then follow that upwith safe Help.
Build trust by allowing them tofeel safe, no matter what.
We will support you throughthis.
Help them feel safe, help themfeel seen.

(05:38):
Give them options.
Help them feel safe.
Sos.
This is how you navigate anyhard conversation.
Hard conversation number onebreaking up with a boyfriend or
a partner of some kind.

(05:59):
Seen, you know, I know it'shard to be in a relationship
with someone who's not all in onyou and you can feel that
disconnect.
I know that the communicationbetween us hasn't been that
great and I can tell that it'sreally causing a strain on you

(06:22):
Options.
So I'm going to go ahead andmake the call that this is not
the right relationship for us.
So either I can go ahead andget my things now and leave, or
you can leave now and I willgather my items and be out by
the end of the night, and thenyou can come back then.

(06:44):
Either way, I appreciate thetime that we've had together,
but this does not seem to be thebest fit for the both of us and
so, for the long-term benefitof both of us, I'm making the
call to end our relationship now.
Sos, scene Options Safe.

(07:05):
This can be applied to anything.
Scene Options Safe ClientClient says you know, that's a
really that's a lot more than Iwas expecting the service to

(07:25):
cost Seen options safe.
Well, I know that you had saidearlier in our conversation that
you were really struggling toget your business to go the
direction that you needed it toand to bring in the money you
needed to pay all your bills.

(07:46):
Right, you had expressed howdifficult that was, and I can
see how running a business onlow funds can be really hard.
Yeah, options.
So I do still have a coachingprogram.
That's not quite the one-on-onelevel, but I still think is
going to give you the supportyou need and you can go ahead

(08:09):
and get started there for a muchlower rate.
Or we can move back from thepackage where we have our
bi-weekly sessions and insteadwe can just meet once a quarter
and just do four sessions a year.
That way the payments are muchmore within the realm of what
you can afford at this time.
Either way, I'm not goinganywhere.

(08:30):
I will still be here.
So even if you choose either ofthese options or neither of
these options, you're stillgoing to be okay in my book and
you're not going to lose theconnection here between us.
Seen options safe.
Do we see how we can diffusethe situation by allowing

(08:53):
someone to get their core valuesmet?
I see you, I hear you, Iunderstand.
Then you give them two optionsso it's not feeling backed into
a corner where they have nooptions.
That's what many people feel inconversations like this.
Even if there are many options,they just can't see them
because they're so deep in theirproblem.
So instead, offer them somesolutions, even if you want to

(09:17):
offer three different solutions.
That's what I did in that lastoption there.
I said this or that or neither.
Which is a third option?
Right, that's going to givethem choice.
Give them choice, gives themtheir power back.
And then safe, allow them tounderstand there is no threat of

(09:37):
abandonment or disconnect orlack of energy or lashing out of
you.
On the other end and you mustbe being honest in this sense Do
not say some safe comment andthen lash out afterwards.
That is not okay, but I trustthat if you are listening to
this, you are someone who is asheart-centered, impact-focused,

(10:01):
who will, in fact, mean it whenyou build trust through a safety
comment and a statement thatallows them to understand they
truly are safe.
Seen options safe.
This can be applied to any areaof life, to any conversation.

(10:23):
Seeing options safe.
Take a deep breath.
Control what you can control.
Set your intention before youenter the conversation.
Set your intention before youenter the conversation.
Pre-frame the conversation.

(10:45):
Hey, I want to go ahead andclear up some things so that we
can make sure that ourrelationship can move forward
without any hiccups.
And then scene options safe.
Sos.
That's all you need to be ableto navigate any hard situation
in any part of your life.
I hope this helps.