Out-positive / Friendship url
Asking for a favor
- Can I ask you for a huge favor?
- Can you give me a hand?
- I could use your help with something I’m doing.
- Do you have any free time to give me some help?
- I’m confused about something, and I’d appreciate it if you could help clear things up.
- I'm so glad I reached you, because you’re a hard person to get a hold of.
- Just tell me one thing.
- Can I have a word with you?
- Could you spare a minute?
Asking for a favor
In-negative / Doubt url
To friend who claims he knows how to win the lottery
- The chances of that happening are pretty close to zero.
- How do you figure that?
- You don’t say?
- Don’t count on it.
- You can’t mean that.
- It doesn’t work that way.
- That’s what they all say.
- How can you be so cock-sure of yourself?
- It’s all in your head.
- It’s not very likely to happen that way.
- It’s about time you started being realistic.
- Wake up and smell the coffee.
To friend who claims he knows how to win the lottery
In-negative / Doubt url
Being told that a bad investment you made will go back up
- You’re just trying to make me feel better.
- How can you be so sure?
- I think the truth is more complicated than the way you’re making it sound.
- What you’re saying just doesn’t hold water.
- I wouldn’t hold my breath.
- That’ll be the day.
- I don’t believe it for a minute.
- After what already happened, what difference does it make anyway?
- Maybe yes, maybe no.
Being told that a bad investment you made will go back up
In-negative / Doubt url
To chemist who blew up the lab
- You’re supposed to know these things.
- What have you done?
- How could you do that?
- I can’t believe it.
- You certainly have had a streak of bad luck.
- I didn’t think that was going to happen.
- What were you trying to do?
- Well what did you expect?
- Is that the best you can do?
- Maybe you should choose a different line of work.
- I don’t think anyone expected this result.
- The less said about it the better.
- What have you gotten yourself into?
To chemist who blew up the lab
In-negative / Desperation url
Lost in the forest
- I’ve run out of steam.
- The situation is so grim.
- The situation was so dangerous that I thought it was curtains.
- I’m worried to death.
- I can’t cope with it.
- I’m scared to death.
- Time is running out.
- It’s all a nightmare.
- I’m never going to make it.
- I’m reaching the end of my rope.
- I was up the creek without a paddle.
Lost in the forest
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
Don’t let your attitude interfere
- Don’t be a stickler for details.
- Don’t get all huffy.
- Don’t make a federal case out of it.
- Please get to the point, and don’t beat around the bush.
- Don’t make such a big production of it.
- You can’t pass judgment.
- You are blowing things out of proportion.
- You’re as stubborn as a mule.
Don’t let your attitude interfere
In-positive / Determination url
Head of a start-up
- We shall overcome.
- Let’s keep the ball rolling.
- There will be no exceptions.
- Every minute counts.
- Never say die.
- It’s not the mountain ahead that wears you out, but the grain of sand in your shoe.
- Let’s get to work.
- We have to use brute force.
- We can use all the help that we can get.
- It’s important that we do this right, and I don’t want any slip-ups.
- We’ll make it up as we go along.
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- It may be slow going but we’re making headway.
- We should milk it for all its worth.
- To make our strategy work, we have to make sure all our ducks are lined up.
- We're going to make it happen.
- There's nothing we can't do if we put our minds to it.
- We must have confidence in ourselves.
- It's up to us to make sure it happens.
- Let’s milk it for all it’s worth.
- We’re going to hit the ground running.
- In our struggle for success, I think we’ve finally turned the corner.
- Things are falling into place.
Head of a start-up
Out-neutral / Advice url
Perspective-1
- You don’t know what’s in another person’s head until you’re standing in his shoes.
- It shouldn’t be taken lightly.
- You had it right the first time.
- Would that be the worst thing in the world?
- There’s nothing new under the sun.
- We’ve got our whole life ahead of us.
- See what a difference it makes?
- That’s all that matters.
- Don’t give it a second thought.
- There are exceptions to every rule.
- If you want my two cents, here is how I see it.
Perspective-1
In-positive / Surprise url
A friend becomes president of the company
- Goodness gracious.
- Well what do you know?
- It’s too good to be true.
- For goodness sakes.
- For heaven’s sake.
- It took us all by surprise.
A friend becomes president of the company
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who invested in a stock that did well and then crashed
- It wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
- You can cope with it.
- You can turn it into a growth and learning experience.
- You can rest assured that if I were in your shoes, I would have done exactly what you did.
- It certainly started off with the bang.
- Don’t worry, hang on tight, it’s going to be all right.
- You’re acting as cool as a cucumber.
- I guess whatever goes up, must come down.
For a friend who invested in a stock that did well and then crashed
In-positive / Determination url
Manager with a new employee
- The early bird catches the worm.
- I won’t take no for an answer.
- Let’s skip the formalities, and cut to the chase.
- I'm going to get right down to brass tacks.
- Let’s get a move on it.
- A word to the wise is sufficient.
- It’s just not done that way around here.
- Do whatever it is you have to do.
Manager with a new employee
In-positive / Confidence url
Handing in a task to boss ahead of schedule
- I’m on a roll.
- I’ve been as busy as a bee.
- I’ve gotten the hang of it.
- You ain’t seen nothing yet.
- In order to get this to happen, I had to jump through hoops.
- Sign, sealed and delivered.
- Well that takes care of that.
- What did I tell you?
Handing in a task to boss ahead of schedule