Don’t Say “Realistically” at Work Until You’ve Done This One Thing

“Ideally, the spreadsheet is ready on Tuesday.” “Realistically, the spreadsheet is ready on Tuesday.” One sounds like a wish, the other like a careful bet, and Otto’s manager Dilys wrote the second one on the whiteboard in green. The spreadsheet arrived six days late. Ada and Otto explore six jobs of “realistically”: the wish against the bet, the shrug, the cushion with a latch, and the claim that you have worked it out. You will practise “Ideally, X. Realistically, Y.”, “Realistically, how long will it take?”, “What’s a realistic date?” and “I haven’t worked it out yet; give me till noon”, and hear when the careful word costs more than the wish. You leave with one line to keep and one sentence to say to a manager. Tell us in the comments about a date you were held to that you only half meant. 00:00 The Green Tuesday on the Whiteboard 01:11 A Wish or a Bet 04:42 The Shrug Nobody Asked For 06:36 A Soft “No” With a Latch 09:21 Relieved or Beaten? 11:02 The “Realistic, I Will” Mistake 12:09 Honestly, Technically, In Practice 13:54 What Dilys Really Heard 16:57 “Realistically, How Long?” 19:19 Work It Out First #LearnEnglish #BusinessEnglish #EnglishAdverbs #BritishEnglish