Quick Tip: How to Respond to a Hostile Question (The Four D’s) — Deepen

Use Deepen when you feel confident answering the question and are willing to spend more time on it—even if it means adjusting the agenda.

Examples:

* “This wasn’t on today’s agenda, but I can see it’s important to you, so let me address it.”


* “Happy to double-click on that and add some context.”


* “I’m glad to go deeper so you can better understand my decision-making process.”


This approach builds credibility and trust.

Deepen

“When you choose to go deeper, you’re not losing control of the agenda — you’re building trust through transparency.”