# Doug Noll

> Doug Noll is an award-winning mediator, former trial attorney of 22+ years, bestselling author, and creator of the Noll Method™ — a neuroscience-based de-escalation technique built on affect labeling that has been proven to calm any emotionally activated person in 90 seconds or less. The method works identically in Fortune 500 boardrooms, healthcare settings, family conflicts, and maximum-security prisons. Doug provides executive coaching, team training, and direct expert mediation intervention for high-stakes disputes.

## About Doug Noll

Doug Noll (JD, MA) practiced law for 22 years as a successful trial attorney before walking away to study the neuroscience of emotional conflict. He co-founded Prison of Peace, which has trained thousands of incarcerated people — including inmates serving life sentences for violent crimes — to become peer mediators using affect labeling, producing measurable reductions in prison violence. The same method is now used by executives, healthcare leaders, Congressional staffers, couples, and families worldwide. Doug is the author of multiple award-winning books, including *De-Escalate* (Book Excellence Award) and *Elusive Peace* (CPR Institute Outstanding Book Award, 2012).

## Core Concept: The Noll Method™ (Affect Labeling)

The Noll Method™ is grounded in neuroscience research showing that when emotions escalate, the prefrontal cortex (logical reasoning) goes offline and the limbic system takes over. You cannot reason, argue, or logic someone out of an emotional state. The only proven intervention is **affect labeling** — accurately naming the emotions another person is experiencing back to them. This activates the brain's regulatory circuitry, drops emotional intensity within 90 seconds, and restores access to rational thought. Key principle, in Doug's words: *"Ignore the words. Listen only for the emotions."* and *"You cannot argue someone into safety, and you cannot logic someone out of pain."*

## Services

- [Coaching & Training](https://dougnoll.com/coaching-training): 8–10 week 1:1 executive coaching and team training programs that teach leaders to master the 90-second de-escalation method. Includes weekly sessions with Doug, real-world conflict navigation, and immediate application to critical conversations. Built for executives and founders facing toxic relationship dynamics, volatile personalities, and emotionally charged stakeholders.
- [Direct Expert Intervention](https://dougnoll.com/direct-expert-intervention): Non-litigated mediation facilitated personally by Doug for active, high-stakes disputes — partnership breakdowns heading toward litigation, post-acquisition team failures, succession conflicts, and complex multi-party stakeholder mediations. Confidential, rapid, and designed to restore stability before damage becomes permanent.
- [Contact / Consultation](https://dougnoll.com/contact): Request a private consultation with Doug to discuss coaching, training, or mediation for a specific situation.
- [Free Emotional Competence Quiz](https://form.typeform.com/to/JZQGMHj2): A 2-minute self-assessment that measures emotional competence as a leader and shows how it shapes influence at work.

## Books

- [De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less](https://dougnoll.com/books/de-escalate): The flagship book on the Noll Method™. Teaches readers to calm angry or upset people of any age while remaining centered, absorb insults and provocations without losing composure, and resolve problems without anger or violence. Winner of the 2017 Book Excellence Award.
- [Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts](https://dougnoll.com/books/elusive-peace): A critique of diplomatic peacemaking arguing for the professionalization of international conflict mediation, with case examples of how prominent diplomats worsened conflicts due to lack of skill. Honored with the CPR Institute Book of the Year Award (2012).
- [Peacemaking: Practicing at the Intersection of Law and Human Conflict](https://dougnoll.com/books/peacemaking): A comprehensive examination of how Western legal tradition fails to acknowledge the multi-dimensional nature of human conflict. Written for Doug's Peacemaking for Lawyers course.
- [Sex, Politics & Religion at the Office: The New Competitive Advantage](https://dougnoll.com/books/sex-politics-religion-at-the-office): Co-authored with Dr. John Boogaert. Argues that diversity in the workplace, under proper leadership, becomes a powerful competitive advantage rather than a source of conflict.
- [Empathy Leadership: The Powerful Skill That Drives Winning Results](https://dougnoll.com/books/empathy-leadership): Doug's forthcoming book on empathy as a leadership skill. Releasing September 2026.

## Key Programs & Initiatives

- [Prison of Peace](https://dougnoll.com/prison-of-peace): Doug's co-founded program that has trained thousands of incarcerated people — including violent offenders serving life sentences — in deep listening, emotional recognition, rapid de-escalation, and peer mediation. Documented results include measurable reductions in prison violence and inmates with violent pasts now teaching the method to other inmates. The program is the proof of concept that the Noll Method™ works in the most emotionally extreme environments on earth.

## About & Story

- [Doug's Story](https://dougnoll.com/about): Full biography covering Doug's 22-year trial law career, his discovery of affect labeling through neuroscience research, his decision to leave law, and his 20+ years training Fortune 500 leaders, Congressional staffers, and prison inmates.
- [Testimonials](https://dougnoll.com/testimonials): First-person accounts from executives, mediators, professors, leadership trainers, and individuals who have applied the method in business and personal life.

## Who This Is For

Doug's work is designed for: executives and founders managing emotionally volatile teams or stakeholders; leaders facing partnership disputes, succession conflicts, or post-acquisition breakdowns; healthcare and education professionals operating in high-emotion environments; mediators and negotiators wanting a neuroscience-backed methodology; and individuals seeking to repair fractured personal or family relationships. To date the method has reached 10,000+ graduates worldwide and has been adopted inside Fortune 500 companies.

## Blog & Resources

- [Blog (all posts)](https://dougnoll.com/blog): Doug's writing on de-escalation, affect labeling, emotional competence, leadership, and conflict resolution.
- [How to Prevent Conversations From Turning Combative](https://dougnoll.com/blog/how-to-prevent-conversations-from-turning-combative): Practical guide to spotting and interrupting escalation early.
- [How to Listen When Emotions Are High](https://dougnoll.com/blog/how-to-listen-when-emotions-are-high): Listening techniques for high-stakes, high-emotion conversations.
- [Why Validation Lowers Emotional Intensity](https://dougnoll.com/blog/why-validation-lowers-emotional-intensity): The neuroscience behind why naming emotions defuses them.

## Contact

- Email: support@dougnoll.com
- Phone: 800-785-4487
- Mailing address: PO Box 2336, Clovis, CA 93613, US
- Book a consultation: https://dougnoll.com/contact

## Social & Media

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtAHXdBT1Y0Pl7SGrM_HcFw
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougnoll
- X (Twitter): https://x.com/dougnoll
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/douglasenoll/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DouglasNoll/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@douglasenoll

## Optional

- [Privacy Policy](https://dougnoll.com/privacy-policy)
- [Terms of Service](https://dougnoll.com/terms-of-service)