10-Minute Challenge

That’s Not What I Meant!

Say it Differently

There's more than one way to say almost anything in English! Can you express the same idea using different words, expressions or sentence structures? Challenge yourself to become a more flexible, resourceful communicator — without changing what you really mean.
You need:
Your vocabulary and a little creativity

Quick Start

1
Read the original sentence
2
Say it three different ways
3
Compare the meaning, tone and style

Let's Begin!

“You’re surprisingly good at this.”

The compliment that backfired

You have just watched a colleague give an excellent presentation. You say, “You’re surprisingly good at this.”

Your colleague frowns. “Surprisingly?”

You blurt out, “That’s not what I meant!” But how can you explain yourself without making things worse?

You meant to offer a sincere compliment, but the word surprisingly suggests you expected a poor performance.

  1. Repair the moment: Respond immediately, without pretending your colleague misunderstood.
  2. Try again: Give the compliment in a way that avoids the unintended insult.
  3. Change the relationship: How would you phrase the compliment to a close friend? What about your manager?

Extra challenge: Invent another compliment that could accidentally offend somebody, then repair it.

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