The first step when someone interrupts you in an argument

I learned early on that in court, the lawyers who talked the loudest were always the ones who lost the jury. The ones who paused, stayed measured, kept their ground were the ones the jury leaned towards and listened to. And that's true outside the courtroom as well. So if these responses make things worse, what actually works? Well, there's actually a 3-step system, and the first step is the one almost nobody does. So let me explain. The first thing you want to do when somebody interrupts you is make sure that your nervous system is regulated. Make sure that you are emotionally under control. So, Notice what's happening to yourself. Your jaw tightens. Your chest rises. Your mind starts firing off. You're trying to think of a response. Probably your vision tightens. And you stop thinking. That's your amygdala firing. And if you act from that state, you have already lost. You cannot de-escalate a room you've already added heat to. My foundational teaching is that your nervous system is the instrument.