Communication Under Pressure: When you Know Better, but Struggle to Execute (Online Workshop on 01/22/26)

Communication Under Pressure: When you Know Better, but Struggle to Execute

Note: This workshop has limited capacity. This is an online, interactive workshop on January 22, 2026 from 8:45am-12pm ET. Participants will use Zoom to join with both video and audio. This workshop is sponsored by The Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Training Description:

You’ve taken the workshops, read the books, and learned communication frameworks—but in the moment, things fall apart. The conversation veers off course, your words don’t land, or you leave wishing you’d said what really mattered. Why is it so hard to apply what we know when the stakes are high?

This interactive session explores why communication breaks down under pressure—not due to a lack of skill or knowledge, but because stress and emotion can disrupt access to what we’ve practiced. Drawing from nervous system science and communication science, this experiential training offers insight into how internal and relational stressors impact our ability to connect, stay grounded, and speak with clarity.

This isn’t just for those who panic or feel overwhelmed. It’s also for people who freeze, overthink, shut down, become rigid, or default to “professionalism” at the expense of connection. If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation thinking, “That’s not what I meant to say,” this session offers tools to help realign action with intention. 

Designed for public health professionals, this workshop blends practical strategies with reflective insights to help you communicate more effectively-- even when it's hard. 

About the Trainer:

Lacy Alana, LCSW, RSW, MSSW, is a trainer, psychotherapist, interpersonal neurobiology specialist, and multidisciplinary artist.  Lacy uniquely fuses knowledge from brain science, applied improvisation, communication science, and psychology to offer one-of-a-kind trainings, consulting, and 1:1 services.   

Whether working in the corporate world, providing trainings and keynotes, running circus and improv theatre programs for neurodivergent and at-risk youth, teaching adults, working in the non-profit sector, training medical and helping professionals, or working as a psychotherapist - Lacy's work focuses on teaching others how to effectively connect, create, communicate, and move through the world with the nervous system and communication science in mind. 

Lacy holds a Master's degree in Clinical Social work, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the US, and Registered Social Worker in Canada.  She has a degree in Creative Advertising, and is the founder and director of Yes And Brain, a company that blends brain science, applied improvisation, communication, and psychology to offer one-of-a-kind experiential trainings, consulting, and courses. 

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,404,138.  The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.