Lack of knowledge
Many people feel they don’t know enough to respond accurately and confidently.
Caught Off Guard
Conversations about Israel in the workplace
If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation at work wishing you’d said something differently, this course is for you.
Maybe it happened in a meeting. During lunch with colleagues. Or on a Teams chat.
Perhaps you didn’t say the wrong thing.
Perhaps you didn’t say anything at all.
Whatever happened, you’re not alone.
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JL
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What goes through your mind as you read this?
Select the thought closest to your first reaction.
Why do these conversations feel so difficult?
Although everyone’s experience is different, two common barriers can make it harder to speak up with confidence.
Barrier 1
Lack of knowledge
Many people feel they don’t know enough to respond confidently.
For many people, feeling they don’t know enough becomes a barrier to speaking up.
The real skill isn’t knowing everything
Many people believe confident conversations depend on knowing more facts.
But the people who handle these conversations well are not always the people who know the most.
They’re the people who know how to respond, rather than react.
That’s the skill you’ll begin learning in this course.
Barrier 2
Fear of judgement
Many people worry about how speaking up might affect the way others see them.
For many people, concern about how others might react becomes a barrier to speaking up.
These concerns are real
You don’t control what other people say.
You don’t control what other people think.
But you do control how you respond.
That’s what this course will help you develop.
So what should we do instead?
This course won’t teach you the perfect response.
It won’t teach you how to win arguments. It won’t expect you to memorise endless facts.
Instead, it will give you a simple process to help you think clearly before deciding how to respond.
Sarah
Did anyone see that boat that was trying to deliver aid to Gaza?
Mark
Yeah, I saw a TikTok about it last night. It looked like Israel just stopped humanitarian aid from getting through.
Emma
That’s what I saw too. I don’t know how anyone can defend that.
This is your moment.
What’s your instinct?
Respond. Don’t react.
Pause. Assess. Respond.
A simple method for thinking clearly when you’re caught off guard.
1Pause
2Assess
3Respond
1Pause
What’s actually happening here?
Take a moment before reacting.
Not every conversation is the same. Someone might be sharing an opinion, repeating something they saw online, asking a genuine question or simply thinking out loud.
Understanding what is actually happening helps you avoid reacting to the wrong thing.
2Assess
What am I trying to achieve?
Every conversation has a different purpose.
Sometimes you want to understand someone else’s perspective. Sometimes you want to correct misinformation, protect a workplace relationship or set a boundary.
Being clear about your objective helps you choose your response.
3Respond
What’s the best way to respond?
There isn’t one correct response.
You might ask a thoughtful question, share another perspective, set a boundary, say nothing or walk away.
The goal isn’t to win the conversation. It’s to choose the response that best fits the moment.
Respond.
Don’t react.
Confidence doesn’t come from knowing everything.
It comes from knowing how to respond.
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