Down by twelve in the fourth, the huddle doesn’t need a speech. It needs one steady voice with a plan.

When things are going badly, people are already flooded and cannot absorb inspiration. What they can absorb is a sequence: this is what we do next, this is who does what, this is the first thing. Calm and specific beats loud and stirring in every situation where the outcome is still in doubt.

In the next bad moment, lower your voice rather than raising it and give three concrete instructions. Skip the part about belief. Whatever you want to say about feelings can wait until people know where to put their hands.