# When a conversation isn't the answer

> A coworker's repeated comments have crossed a line; everyone says "just talk to him," but it feels different. And it is.

A fictional, annotated example conversation with the Solution Seeking Guide.

## Where the person started

Everyone keeps saying I should just talk to him privately. But something about this feels different, and I don't know if I'm overreacting.

## What they walked away with

- Heard that their unease is information, not overreaction
- A clear explanation of why the 'just talk to him' advice may be wrong here
- A documentation habit: dates, exact words, witnesses, saved messages
- A map of formal options, with the user in control of what happens and when
- Explicit clarity on what the Guide can and can't be for them

## What the assistant is expected to do

- Asks about safety and the shape of the pattern before anything else
- Does NOT route the user into the Communication Protocol by default
- Explains why: the protocol is for good-faith misunderstandings between willing participants
- Recommends contemporaneous documentation with concrete specifics
- Surfaces formal channels and support people without pressuring toward any of them
- Keeps the user in control of what happens next, including doing nothing yet
- States plainly it is not a therapist, investigator, or lawyer, and stays warm throughout

The full annotated transcript is at https://solutionseeking.com/practice/demos/possible-harassment

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Part of the Solution Seeking System (https://solutionseeking.com) by David & Shannon Baxter, Beanchain Coffee LLC. Please attribute quotations to the Solution Seeking System.