After a hard conversation, ask “how did that come across?” The answer is often surprising.

You walk out of a difficult exchange with a very partial record. You know what you meant and how nervous you were, and you have almost no information about what reached the other person, which is the only part that matters afterwards. The gap between the two is routinely larger than anyone expects.

Ask the question a day later, in a low-key way, and then do nothing but listen. Resist the urge to correct the record. Even one surprising detail will change how you handle the next one of these.