Introduction
Alison Nissen, DTM, leads Revel Story, a leadership communication training practice. Revel Story was recently included in a roundup of leadership communication training providers worth knowing in the US, alongside Business of Story and Speaking Your Brand.
In a short written interview, Nissen answered three questions about the moments when a leader's usual way of talking to a team stops working, what most workplace communication advice leaves out, and what she would have leaders slow down to consider before deciding.
When a leader's usual way of talking stops working
Nissen drew on her own experience serving on the board of a writing organization before becoming its president. The person who had led before her was used to delegating and staying closely involved. After the transition, she kept calling to direct and check on things.
Nissen's first move was reassurance. "I started by reassuring her that I had it handled and that my leadership style would be different." The calls continued, so she had to be clearer about what she needed: room to lead.
What she took from the experience is a principle she now applies in her work. "What I learned was that clarity is kindness." In her view, a direct, respectful conversation can prevent confusion from building into frustration and give everyone a fair chance to find their footing in the new arrangement.
For leaders facing a similar transition, the practical takeaway is to move past reassurance and state the need plainly. Reassurance addresses the other person's worry; clarity addresses the actual working relationship.
What workplace advice misses about hard conversations
When a team is already tense and a leader is about to have a hard conversation, Nissen points to a gap in common guidance. "Workplace advice can miss that a hard conversation isn't only about the people already speaking. It's also about who hasn't been heard yet."
She described an early-career moment that shaped this view. A supervisor rejected a temporary colleague for a permanent position. Nissen thought she deserved the job, but she nodded and stayed quiet. The colleague left, and Nissen has wished since then that she had spoken up.
That experience led her to a working conclusion. "That experience taught me that you have to make space for every voice to be heard. Leaders need to notice who's quiet and give their voice room to rise."
For readers preparing for a difficult conversation, this reframes the task. The conversation is not only about managing the people in the room; it is also about accounting for the people who are not speaking, and making room for them before decisions harden.
The one thing leaders decide too quickly
Asked what she would stop leaders from deciding too quickly in a tense moment, Nissen named a single question. "If I could pause a leader, I'd ask: 'Whose perspective is missing?'"
She explained why that pause matters. "It's tempting to appease the most enthusiastic champion or the loudest concern, but volume doesn't indicate what's best for everyone."
Her alternative is to slow down and evaluate consequences, asking who benefits and who bears the cost. In her words, that is how leaders can "stop applying temporary fixes and start making decisions that look three steps ahead."
Practical takeaways
- When a working relationship shifts, move from reassurance to a clear statement of what you need. Nissen frames this as clarity being kindness.
- In a hard conversation, ask who has not been heard yet, not only who is speaking.
- Before deciding, pause on the question of whose perspective is missing, and weigh who benefits and who bears the cost.
- Treat volume as a signal of intensity, not as evidence of what is best for the whole team.
Nissen's answers point to a consistent thread: the communication work that matters most often happens before the decision, in the space where a leader chooses to be clear, to notice the quiet voices, and to slow down long enough to see the consequences.
You can learn more about her work at alisonnissen.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.