In-neutral / Acceptance url
Getting a doctor’s appointment in 3 months
- Its better late than never.
- All in good time.
- Does it really make such a difference?
- It really doesn’t matter.
- It’ll happen before we know it.
- All things happen to those who wait.
Getting a doctor’s appointment in 3 months
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who just got an A average
- You passed with flying colors.
- That’s my boy!
- You out-did yourself.
- You did that well.
- All things considered, I think you did a great job, and you should be proud of what you were able to accomplish.
- That’s using your head.
- Nobody can do it better.
- That’s fantastic.
- Kudos to you!
- Your mind is sharp as a tack.
- Your in a class all by yourself.
- You should be proud of yourself.
- That’s a major accomplishment.
- I always knew you had it in you.
For a friend who just got an A average
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who’s hesitant about eating an exotic food for the first time
- What are you waiting for?
- Try it, you’ll like it.
- Don’t worry about a thing.
- Put yourself at ease.
- There’s nothing to worry about.
- I assure you whole-heartedly that you won’t regret it.
- You’ll see soon enough that your fears are unfounded.
- It all goes into the same stomach.
- Forewarned is forearmed.
For a friend who’s hesitant about eating an exotic food for the first time
In-positive / Determination url
Therapist with patient
- Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
- This is an opportunity of a lifetime.
- I’m going to tell it to you straight, even if it means bursting your balloon.
- Rome wasn’t built in a day.
- There’s nothing that we can’t do if we put our minds to it.
- Let’s not give up before we start.
- There are so many false starts, but it’s important that we don’t give up hope.
- There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
- It doesn’t have to be that way.
- Unfortunately we often have to learn the hard way.
- Let’s start tying up loose ends.
- All beginnings are hard.
- Often just when we think it will be clear sailing from here on in, POW – something unexpected comes from out of the blue to blow our well laid plans to smithereens, and suddenly it’s back to the drawing board, forcing us to rethink the whole thing through from start to finish, from soup to nuts.
Therapist with patient
In-positive / Surprise url
A friend wins the race for mayor
- Now that takes the cake!
- Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.
- In all my years of experience I’ve never seen anything like it.
- Wasn’t that a real kick in the pants?
- Oh, my goodness.
- It left me speechless.
- Isn’t that a kick in the pants?
- How do you like them apples?
A friend wins the race for mayor
Out-positive / Agreement url
Don’t you agree that guaranteed basic income would reduce poverty?
- I must admit, when you’re right, you’re right.
- That’s exactly what I think.
- I think that’s an idea whose time has come.
- That would be neat.
- I agree that it’s as simple as that.
- I see your point.
- I have a funny feeling that time will bear that out.
- Amen!
- You couldn’t be more right.
- I believe that the data will validate what you are saying.
Don’t you agree that guaranteed basic income would reduce poverty?
In-negative / Doubt url
Looking for keys that were lost in the park
- It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
- Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong place.
- Maybe we’re barking up the wrong tree.
- I think we’re wasting our time.
- Sometimes you just have to know when to call it quits.
- Let’s just call the whole thing off.
- After all this effort, I no longer know if I’m coming or going.
- I’m totally tuckered out.
- I think it’s a lost cause.
- Let’s do something else for a while and just keep my eyes open for it.
Looking for keys that were lost in the park
In-positive / Confidence url
Shopping for clothes for camp
- You’ll be out of here so fast your head will spin.
- We’re getting our money’s worth.
- That was a productive use of our time.
- I’ve got it all under control.
- I’m going to have to ride shotgun on this task to make sure it gets done.
- Now this certainly seems like a worthwhile endeavor.
Shopping for clothes for camp
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
I see your point of view
- I understand your position.
- I got the point.
- You’ve made your point.
- You started me thinking.
- That’s a point well taken.
- You have a point.
- I must say, that is very tempting.
- That sounds like a reasonable alternative.
- OK, sounds like a plan.
- I must admit that what you are saying has the ring of truth.
I see your point of view
Out-positive / Agreement url
Do you like my new style of dressing?
- It’s growing on me.
- It looks fine to me.
- I think it’s a change for the better.
- I think it’s a step in the right direction.
- I agree with your decision.
- Suits me just fine.
Do you like my new style of dressing?
Out-positive / Apology url
After a boss tells a worker that management won’t let him give the worker an expected raise
- I only wish I could have done more.
- I did the best I could.
- I’m sorry, my hands are tied.
- It might not make any sense to you, but that’s what they decided, and I hope you understand.
- I’m sorry that it’s not the answer you hoped for.
- My apologies that it took me longer to get the answer than I thought it would.
- I hope that we’ll be able to give you a better answer next time.
- I’m hoping this is something you can live with for the time being.
- I was told to explain to you that it’s due to circumstances beyond their control.
- Please give us a chance to make it up to you next time.
After a boss tells a worker that management won’t let him give the worker an expected raise
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Losing a bet at the casino
- Them’s the breaks.
- I’ll make the best of it.
- Eventually I’m going to have to face the music.
- I’ve learned my lesson.
- That just goes to show you.
- I should have seen that coming a mile away.
Losing a bet at the casino