I caught myself rehearsing a parent meeting in the shower — not the facts, the turns. If she says this, I'll say that. Felt silly until Stokoe's book reminded me that preparing for conversation isn't weird.
The catch is staying flexible. Rehearsing is fine; literally following a script is not — the other person always goes off-piste. Stokoe studies real recordings and shows how tiny word choices matter more than most body-language advice. Mediators steer people with phrasing nobody notices.
That matched how I already muddle through difficult calls. Less odd, slightly more prepared to improvise when the script breaks.