Physical Space De-escalation Most conflict advice focuses on what to say. This skill is about what to do with your body when you're in a room with someone who is angry, aggressive, or escalating. Body language, positioning, voice, and physical distance do more to de-escalate a confrontation than the perfect script. Retail workers, bartenders, nurses, teachers, and parents use these techniques every day. They work because they address the physiology of aggression — a person in fight-or-flight mode is responding to physical cues before they process words. Get the body language right and the wor…