The small phrases that quietly cost you credibility.
Nobody fails a meeting because of one word. But “sorry”, “just” and “I think maybe” add up — and listeners hear them long before they hear your point. Knowing the better line is step one. Saying it under pressure is the skill.
“Sorry to bother you, but…”
“Got two minutes? I need your call on the launch date.”
Apologising for asking shrinks the ask before you've made it.
Say it out loud — meetings drill →“I think maybe we could…”
“I recommend we ship Friday. Two reasons.”
Hedges invite people to discount your idea; a recommendation with reasons invites a decision.
Say it out loud — leadership drill →“Does that make sense?”
“What questions do you have?”
The first suggests you explained it badly; the second assumes they were listening.
Say it out loud — presentations drill →“That's a great question.”
(pause for two seconds) — then answer.
The filler compliment sounds scripted; a pause buys the same thinking time and sounds considered.
Say it out loud — interviews drill →“So, um, basically what I do is…”
“I help new customers get set up in a day instead of a week.”
Lead with the outcome you create, not the warm-up.
Say it out loud — everyday confidence drill →“I just wanted to quickly check…”
“Quick check: is the demo still on for Thursday?”
“Just” and “quickly” pre-apologise; the question alone is enough.
Say it out loud — meetings drill →“I'll try to get it done.”
“You'll have it by 3 pm Thursday.”
A date and a time is a commitment; “try” is an escape hatch everyone hears.
Say it out loud — leadership drill →“I'm not an expert, but…”
“Here's what I've seen work.”
Don't disqualify yourself before the point lands — let the evidence carry it.
Say it out loud — everyday confidence drill →“To be honest…”
(just say it)
It quietly implies everything before it was less than honest.
Say it out loud — everyday confidence drill →“My weakness is that I'm a perfectionist.”
“I used to over-polish first drafts. Now I share at 70% and iterate — it cut review time in half.”
Interviewers have heard the disguised boast a thousand times; a real fix with a result is rare.
Say it out loud — interviews drill →“We should probably look into that.”
“Sam, can you scope it by Monday?”
A meeting outcome needs an owner and a date, or it isn't one.
Say it out loud — meetings drill →“Our product does a lot of things…”
“You're losing a week on every new hire. We get that to a day. Can we pilot it with one team?”
Problem, result, ask — buyers say yes to an outcome, not a feature list.
Say it out loud — pitching & sales drill →Reading the better line is easy. Saying it is the skill.
Record 60 seconds. Retake counts every “sorry”, “just” and “um” — and tells you the one thing to fix.
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