Stories of Impact
COMMUNICATE TO DE-ESCALATE
Rebuilding trust through improved communication
Sara Rae
FRONTLINE TRAINING, INTERNAL IMPACT
Carolina Theatre was looking for de-escalation training for frontline staff, butquickly realized it was their internalcommunications that needed a boost.
Participant
Sara Rae
Organization
Carolina Theatre
Title
AVP, Facility Operations
Sector
Nonprofit, 11–50 people
Program
Communicate to De-escalate, September 2026
What brought them to NCRC
FRONTLINE TRAINING
INTERNAL IMPACT
The original intent of bringing in NCRC was practical: give the team tools and training to effectively de-escalate potentially challenging situations involving staff, guests, and volunteers.A venue the size of the Carolina Theatre depends on a small operations group holding those moments steady.
While researching communication trainings, it became apparent that their team was experiencing internal challenges related to differing personalities, communication styles, and growing workplace tension, which had been building for months.
Recognizing the impact team collaboration has on organizational success, they chose a more intentional approach to rebuilding trust, strengthening collaboration, and improving communication.
Sara Rae found NCRC through a search for conflict resolution training and saw it as an opportunity to better equip the team for success both internally and with the public.
What they wanted from the training
They hoped to use the training as an opportunity to understand one another’s personalities, work styles, and leadership approaches, while gaining insight into how each individual communicates, processes information, and responds to challenges.
Goals Going In
- Practical strategies to de-escalate difficult situations with staff, guests, and volunteers
- Insight into each person’s communication style, work style, and leadership approach
- Stronger relationships, better collaboration, and a more cohesive team
Inside the training
Notice the moment before it escalates
De-escalation begins with recognizing what a tense interaction is actually about, so staff can lower the temperature of a conversation with a guest, a volunteer, or a colleague instead of matching it.
Know your own style, and theirs
The session gave the team a shared vocabulary for personality types, communication preferences, and leadership styles — a way to name differences that had been read as friction.
Practice with coworkers
Because the whole facility operations team attended together, the practice happened between colleagues who would use it the next day in the situations they actually face.
Skills that travel
Participants leave with tools that apply beyond the venue: everyday conversations with colleagues, family, fr iends, and community partners.
Outcomes
While the training was recent, those who attended feel better equipped to communicate respectfully, have a shared language for the differences that were creating tension, and have strategies to help de-escalate tensions with coworkers and guests.
Why they recommend the program
Sara Rae would absolutely recommend Communicate to De-escalate to other organizations and individuals.