Purpose: For the guessing that eats your day when someone above you goes quiet or cold.
When to use: Use this after a short reply, a flat meeting, or a look you could not place.
Worksheet prompts
- What actually happened? Only what you saw and heard.
Words, tone, timing. Leave out what you think it meant. - How sure are you that it was about you?
- What else could it have meant?
Their day, their workload, their own bad week. - What would it take to actually find out?
A question, a quick check in, or waiting until Friday.
Not knowing is uncomfortable. It is not the same as bad news.