It's as simple as this: never sign the document they hand you on the spot. Give it a day or two, say you might need to talk to a lawyer. They're firing you.

It's as simple as this: never sign the document they hand you on the spot. Give it a day or two, say you might need to talk to a lawyer. They're firing you. They really want you to sign this document. They won't actually really take away your severance if you fail to sign in the first ten seconds, because if they wanted to do that, they wouldn't have offered it in the first place. Believe it or not, you have the power in that situation. That's why they want you to sign it right away - right now you're emotionally distressed and thus gullible. So that's how you prepare yourself: remember that if this ever happens, DON'T SIGN ANYTHING until you calm down. It's okay if that takes several days. (This is from experience at past employers, I don't speak for my current employer, I haven't actually been fired but I've been on the other side, I am not a lawyer, This does not constitute legal advice, blah blah.)