Home > Blog > Verbal Escalation Continuum: The 5 Stages and How to Respond at Work
What Is the Verbal Escalation Continuum?
Tense conversations happen in every workplace, and they usually build in recognizable steps. The verbal escalation continuum is a framework that maps escalating verbal behavior in five stages, called questioning, refusal, release, intimidation, and tension reduction. Staff use it to recognize where a conversation is, spot escalation early, and choose a response that fits that stage.
If you’ve come across the term as the CPI verbal escalation continuum in a training course, the five stages described here follow the same general progression. Different courses may use slightly different labels for each stage.
Early stages deserve attention. In OSHA’s healthcare violence factsheet, published in 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration notes that verbal assaults can also escalate to physical violence.
Used well, the continuum also gives you a way to read the needs and emotions beneath the surface of what someone says. It sits alongside the broader behavior escalation cycle, which describes how behavior can build, peak, and settle over time.
Why People Escalate: The Needs Beneath the Words
Escalation can be a response to a threatened need. Dr. Jeremy Pollack’s SAPIEN model describes six core psychological needs, including safety, affiliation, and a positive self-concept, that people may defend strongly when they feel at risk.
The threat doesn’t have to be real to feel urgent. A policy change might unsettle someone’s sense of stability, and a public correction might feel like a blow to their self-worth. Being left out of a team decision might press on their need for belonging.
This lens can make each stage easier to read. When you notice a challenging question or a flat refusal, it can help to ask which need feels under pressure right now. The answer may point you toward a response that addresses what’s driving the behavior, beyond the words themselves.
The 5 Stages of the Verbal Escalation Continuum
Each stage of the verbal escalation continuum has its own signals and its own best response. People can move back and forth between stages, so it helps to respond to what you’re seeing in the moment.
Stage 1: Questioning
The first stage involves questioning, which can take two forms: information-seeking questions and challenging questions. Information-seeking questions are typically neutral or constructive, such as, “Why are we implementing this policy?” These inquiries reflect curiosity and a desire for clarification.
Challenging questions, such as “Who made you the boss?”, can carry more frustration and may test a leader’s authority. Answer information-seeking questions directly and patiently. For challenging questions, calmly acknowledge the concern, then bring the focus back to the issue without arguing.
A phrase like “That’s a fair question. Let’s focus on what we need to get done today” can keep the conversation moving. It offers a way forward without asking anyone to back down publicly.
Stage 2: Refusal
When questioning escalates, individuals may begin refusing instructions or directives. Refusal is often characterized by statements like, “I am not doing that” or “They cannot force me.” Resistance at this stage may stem from underlying frustration, mistrust, or a need for autonomy.
Pushing harder at this point can make a refusal firmer. Offer choices, keep your tone respectful, and set limits that are clear, simple, and reasonable. A limit stated as a choice can preserve someone’s sense of control, such as “When we finish this task, then we can talk.”
You might also ask, “Would you like to discuss this here, or should we step aside for privacy?” For more phrases you can use in the moment, see these everyday de-escalation skills.
Stage 3: Release
In the release stage, emotions take over, leading to verbal outbursts, shouting, or venting frustrations. Phrases like, “You never listen to me!” or “I hate this place!” are common. Venting can be uncomfortable to witness, yet it can also release pressure and create space for dialogue.
De-escalation at this level involves active listening, maintaining non-confrontational body language, and allowing individuals to vent without interruption. Where possible, move the conversation away from an audience, since onlookers can raise the stakes for everyone involved.
Listening first can help lower tension. The psychology behind de-escalation explains why feeling heard can make it easier for someone to calm down.
Stage 4: Intimidation
Safety comes first at the intimidation stage. Intimidation may involve verbal threats, aggressive posturing, or physical proximity meant to unsettle others. Examples include statements like, “You better watch your back.”
Workers are advised to create physical distance, avoid counter-threats, and, if necessary, involve additional support or security protocols. If there is an immediate threat of violence or serious harm, follow your organization’s emergency procedures, because de-escalation supports safety but never replaces safety protocols. The Frontiers in Psychiatry review discussed below notes that verbal techniques alone may be unsafe in situations of imminent harm.
Stage 5: Tension Reduction
After reaching a peak, most conflicts transition into the tension reduction stage. Here, individuals may exhibit remorse, calm down, or seek reconciliation. This stage provides an opportunity for constructive dialogue and resolution.
Re-establish communication with reassurance, and hold off on assigning blame. Acknowledging what happened, and leaving room for an apology when it feels genuine, can create an opportunity to repair communication.
A brief debrief afterward gives staff space to reflect on what they noticed, which responses helped, and what support they might need next time.
Skills That Help at Every Stage
Three skills apply at every stage of the continuum, starting with active listening. Active listening is a cornerstone of de-escalation. By paying attention, acknowledging emotions, and encouraging open dialogue, professionals can help individuals feel heard.
Techniques such as paraphrasing and maintaining eye contact reinforce understanding and empathy. Non-confrontational communication supports the same goal through a calm tone, an open posture, and an occasional nod. Accusatory language like “You always do this” can raise defenses, so it helps to describe the issue instead.
The third skill is noticing triggers early. Every individual has unique triggers that can exacerbate tensions. Identifying and addressing these triggers early can effectively de-escalate conflicts.
For instance, avoiding known stressors and offering alternatives can mitigate frustrations. A team member who reacts strongly to last-minute changes may respond better to early updates.
Healthcare research has also studied verbal de-escalation as a whole, apart from the specific techniques above. Seiyad and colleagues covered 36 healthcare studies in a systematic review of verbal de-escalation published in Frontiers in Psychiatry. They found associations with improved clinician confidence, reduced patient agitation, and enhanced perceptions of safety.
Those findings come from patient-to-staff settings, show association rather than cause, and apply to office conflict only by analogy. The review also notes that studies reporting larger reductions in workplace violence typically paired verbal de-escalation with other organizational measures.
Building the Continuum Into Your Organization
Escalating behavior can affect organizations of every size. NIOSH’s federal workplace violence indicators show an average of 1.3 million nonfatal violent victimizations a year at U.S. workplaces from 2015 to 2019.
Federal guidance also points to training. OSHA’s violence prevention guidelines were written in 2016 for healthcare and social service settings. They list a lack of staff training for recognizing and managing escalating hostile behavior as a risk factor, though the guidance is advisory.
Regular practice can help staff respond with more confidence. In one role-play, one participant plays a team member challenging instructions (e.g., “Why should I listen to you?”), while others role-play as colleagues attempting to de-escalate.
A second scenario involves refusal in a healthcare setting. One participant plays a patient declining care while a colleague practices offering choices and a respectful tone. You’ll find more scenarios in these de-escalation examples across industries.
When everyone uses the same names for the stages, a manager can say “we’re at refusal” and colleagues understand what support may help. That shared vocabulary can support psychological safety, especially when it’s paired with clear escalation procedures. Those procedures can tell staff when to step back, who to call for support, and how to report an incident afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The continuum described here focuses on verbal behavior and how a conversation can escalate through five stages. Broader behavior models look at more than speech.
No. People can skip stages, return to earlier ones, or settle at any point. Responding to the stage in front of you tends to work better than trying to predict the next one.
Strengthen Your Team’s De-Escalation Skills
Pollack Peacebuilding Systems offers de-escalation training workshops that give employees and managers practical skills to recognize each stage and respond through roleplay. Workshops can be tailored to your organization’s goals and industry. To talk through what your team needs, Schedule a Free Consultation.
