“Take your time” are three words that turn a nervous person’s stumble into a finished sentence.

Nervous speech falls apart mostly from the pressure of being watched while it happens. Those three words remove the clock, and the stumble turns back into a sentence because the person is no longer racing your patience. It costs nothing and you can watch the other person unclench. Most people never get offered it.

Say it to someone struggling this week, then actually be quiet and wait. Let the silence run longer than feels comfortable, because that is the part that does the work.