It happens to us all. We get sick, we miss trains and we need to go to the dentist. But when you use these as excuses to explain why you haven’t turned up, everyone is going to assume that you are lying.
In order not to raise suspicion, some people make up awful excuses that it would be rude to question. For example, family tragedies. These people are beyond contempt. Another tactic is to have a physical complaint that is too embarrassing for others to ask about. Women tend to be better at this, as the word “period” usually shuts most people up.
These are excuses, even if true, that are not worth bothering with:
What you say |
What we hear |
| ”My train was cancelled” | “I overslept” |
| “Someone jumped in front of my train” | “I overslept and then slept in a bit more” |
| “I need to take the morning off for dental work.” | “I have an interview” |
| “I have distant relative’s funeral to go to” | “I have a very important interview” |
| “I am tied up in a meeting” | “I don’t want to see you” |
| “I am sick” | “I’m taking the day off” |
| “I put the wrong date in my diary” | “I never put the date in my diary” |
| “I just need to check my movements” | “I’m definitely not coming” |
| “I will get back to you on that” | “The answer is no” |
| “I’d love to come, but I‘m on child duty” | “I‘d rather stick pins in my eyes than attend” |
| “My email system went down” | “I deleted your email” |
| “My computer crashed and I lost the work” | “I never did the work” |
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