Own The Room: How to Control Perception, Read the Room, and Win High Stakes Conversations

Jake Stahl | Executive Presence & High-Stakes Communication

You don’t lose deals because you’re unprepared. You lose them because something shifts in the room — and you don’t catch it in time. Own The Room is a podcast about high-stakes communication, executive presence, and persuasion for founders, CEOs, executives, consultants, and sales leaders who operate in moments where perception matters more than logic. Hosted by Jake Stahl, a high-stakes communication strategist and expert in sales psychology, negotiation skills, and leadership communication, this show breaks down what’s really happening inside pitches, negotiations, presentations, and difficult business conversations. This podcast is for people who are already smart, prepared, and experienced — but keep losing moments they should be winning. Each episode helps you: Read body language and nonverbal signals in real timeControl perception and executive presence before you speakRecognize the exact moment a conversation turnsNavigate difficult conversations at work, pricing discussions, and objectionsReframe and recover inside negotiations and sales conversationsEliminate buyer’s remorse by answering the unspoken questionsCommunicate with authority in meetings, presentations, and high-value deals This is not a show about scripts, hacks, or motivation. It’s about influence, decision-making psychology, and precision under pressure. If you’re tired of being ignored, ghosted, or underestimated — despite being intelligent, prepared, and capable — Own The Room teaches you how to read the room, steer perception, and win high-stakes conversations with certainty.

  1. Oct 12

    How to Respond in the First Hour of a Crisis - Alyssa Burns

    The call always comes at the worst possible time. 8 PM on a Thursday. "Can you get on the phone in the next ten minutes?" And in that first hour, before a single public word goes out, everything that happens next gets decided. Jake sits down with Alyssa Burns, crisis communications strategist and adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago, who's spent her career walking companies and leaders through their worst days. Alyssa breaks down how she reads a situation within minutes of getting the call, why she can usually tell right away when a client isn't giving her the full story, and why silence is one of the most dangerous choices a leader can make once a crisis is public. They get into what separates an apology that actually repairs trust from one that fuels the fire, why internal communication matters just as much as the public statement, and the one thing she'd want every leader to remember if a crisis ever lands on their desk. Good communication informs people. Great communication builds trust. And trust is the only thing you actually get to control. Connect with Alyssa Burns Website: alyssaburnscommunications.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alyssaburns2 Phone: 312-543-0361 Email: alyssa@alyssaburnscommunications.com Follow Jake LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakestahl/ Instagram & TikTok: @OwnTheRoomWithJakeStahl Podcast: https://thejakestahl.com/podcast/ Work with Jake: jake@jakeconsulting.com Book: Own the Room: https://thejakestahl.com/books/ This episode is brought to you by Orchestraight. Try Orchestraight free for 7 days at orchestraight.com. Orchestraight. The straightest path to success.

    How to Respond in the First Hour of a Crisis - Alyssa Burns
4.9
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

You don’t lose deals because you’re unprepared. You lose them because something shifts in the room — and you don’t catch it in time. Own The Room is a podcast about high-stakes communication, executive presence, and persuasion for founders, CEOs, executives, consultants, and sales leaders who operate in moments where perception matters more than logic. Hosted by Jake Stahl, a high-stakes communication strategist and expert in sales psychology, negotiation skills, and leadership communication, this show breaks down what’s really happening inside pitches, negotiations, presentations, and difficult business conversations. This podcast is for people who are already smart, prepared, and experienced — but keep losing moments they should be winning. Each episode helps you: Read body language and nonverbal signals in real timeControl perception and executive presence before you speakRecognize the exact moment a conversation turnsNavigate difficult conversations at work, pricing discussions, and objectionsReframe and recover inside negotiations and sales conversationsEliminate buyer’s remorse by answering the unspoken questionsCommunicate with authority in meetings, presentations, and high-value deals This is not a show about scripts, hacks, or motivation. It’s about influence, decision-making psychology, and precision under pressure. If you’re tired of being ignored, ghosted, or underestimated — despite being intelligent, prepared, and capable — Own The Room teaches you how to read the room, steer perception, and win high-stakes conversations with certainty.

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