You can hear it in their voice.

你可以从话语中察觉。

When an employee, contractor¹, business partner, or even a customer is not planning to deliver on what he or she has promised, you can always tell. Listen to the exact wording, voice inflection, and maybe a hint² of deviousness³, but these phrases are always a red flag. They reveal the person intends to fail.

当员工，合同工，生意伙伴甚至是顾客不能兑现承诺时，你总是有办法察觉到的。听他们的措辞，音调或许话风的转变，但听到这几句话要注意了，它们预示着这些人往往不可靠。

1. "I will do my best...."

1.“我尽力去…”

If you hear this one, make a plan. The person is not going to do their best. In fact, it's a warning sign that the person already knows they cannot complete the task. Whatever happens, it will end in failure.

听到这句话，还是做个备用计划更保险。说这种话的人基本上是不会尽力的。事实上，这句话已经透露出这人无法胜任这项任务。不管怎样都会失败。

2. "Let me get back to you on that..."

2.我等等给你…的答复

I've heard this one at trade-shows many times. It means the exact opposite. The person saying this phrase won't get back to you...ever.

我经常在贸易展会听到这句话，意思恰恰相反。说这话的人之后是永远不会给你答复的。

3. "I have some good ideas on that..."

3.关于…我有些好主意。

It's a red flag when people tell you about an idea. It's a stall. If the idea was that great, the person would just do it and the problem would be resolved.

当有人告诉你他的一个主意时听到这句话你要注意了，这是在拖延时间。如果这个主意真的是很棒的话，这人会立马去做，问题也早就解决了。

4. "I will try..."

4.我会去试试看…

Not everyone has seen the original Star Wars movies. There is no try, per Yoda. When someone says "try" it's a code word. It means: "I know I am going to fail..."

并不是所有人都看过星球大战。正如里头Yoda说的：“没有试一试这种说法”当有人说“试一试”时候,其实就是说我将会失败。

5. "Actually..."

实际上…

This is a harmless word, right? Yet, it means trouble. What comes after it is a mild rebuttal, but the person is not really that sure. "Actually" they are planning to fail.

这个词听起来无害，是吗？实际上就意味着麻烦。说完这个之后就是温柔的辩驳，但是这个人对此并不确信。“实际上……”他们会失败。

6. "You have my word on that..."

6.“我答应你…”

Confident people don't use this phrase. Why bother?The person who needs to trust you will either do that or won't do that, despite whether you say this phrase.

有信心的人是不会说这句话的。何必这么说一句呢？需要对你充分信任的人要么答应去做要么拒绝做，不管你有没有说这句话。