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I Tried That And It's A Waste of Time

Examples:


I tried that and it doesn't work.
I tried what you suggested and it was a total failure.


Explanation:

While this phrase isn't as terrible as some of the others in this book, it's still problematic because it's so negative, and suggests that the other person's suggestion is a complete waste of time.

With this phrase much is in the tone of the de-livery. If said in an angry or frustrated tone, it's likely to start an argument. If said in a factual tone, it's probably OK. Watch out, though, for the “waste of time” part of the phrase. Those are fighting words.

Make It Better:

Replace “waste of time” with other words that don‟t have the negative emotional impact. Notice also that the better phrases open the door for on-going discussion, as opposed to shutting down the conversation

I tried your suggestion and I couldn't get it to work. Maybe I didn't follow what you were saying?
I tried that, and while it might work for you I found it doesn't work as well for me.

About The Author

Robert's books have sold over 300 thousand copies worldwide, and have been translated into Chinese, French, German and Japanese.

He holds a Masters Degree in Applied Psychology, and has taught clinical and counselling psychology at the college level.

You can browse his Amazon Author page by clicking the graphic above.

Fun Endorsements

JLo signing Imperfect Phrases For Better Relationships by Robert Bacal

Just Jenny from the block signing at the International Conference: Shut Your Trap, Listen, And Have The Relationship You Want

About Company

Bacal & Associates is a small training, consulting and publishing company specializing in government. Founded in 1992, we have been serving government training and consulting needs for 22 years. We focus on customer service, communication, performance management, and other management challenges within the public sector.

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