Poison Phrases 23
I was looking for a title for my book and ran ideas past sev-
eral people. Some people said, “I prefer title A.” Others said,
“I’m thinking title B is best.” One woman replied,
Pick C for the following reasons...I did! Her certainty sold me!
Okay. What do you say when someone asks for a report by
Tuesday and you are not certain you can get it done? Don’t say
you’ll try. Tell them DECISIVELY what you CAN do.
I will aim to complete it by Tuesday, and guarantee it
by Wednesday.Doesn’t that sound stronger than
I’ll try.Think about it. When someone says,I should lose weight.or
Maybe we could do lunch.do you expect action? When someone says,
I’ll try to call you.do you wait by the phone? Probably not. But, when they say,
I will lose weight.