The One Word That Tells You Someone Isn't Committed

You know the feeling. You’re at work, and someone says: “I’ll try to have that report to you by Friday.”

Try.

That one word just told you everything you need to know. That report isn’t likely to be coming on Friday. Maybe Monday. Maybe never. Because “I’ll try” isn’t a commitment — it’s an exit strategy. The person has already built in the excuse for failing before they’ve even started.

Now compare it with: “I’ll have that report to you by Friday.”

Do you feel the difference? No “try.” No escape route. The person has committed. If Friday arrives and there’s no report, there’s a problem. But with “try”? There’s just a shrug and a “well, I said I’d try.”

This isn’t just a workplace observation. It’s a principle of Statement Analysis — a discipline used by law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and investigators worldwide to determine whether someone’s words reveal commitment or evasion.

The Commitment Principle

In Statement Analysis, we listen for the strength of a person’s language. A strong commitment sounds like: “I did it,” “I didn’t do it,” “I was there,” “I will do it.” Direct. Clear. No qualifiers.

A weak commitment sounds like: “I would never do something like that,” “I don’t think I was involved,” “I was basically there the whole time.” Every qualifier, every hedge, every softening word weakens the commitment — and weakened commitment is where deception hides.

And then there’s “try.” It’s the weakest commitment of all, because it sounds like a commitment while actually being the opposite. “I’ll try” performs the act of committing without actually doing it. It’s a verbal illusion.

When "Try" Turns Deadly

In 2020, Chris Watts sat on his front porch in Colorado and spoke to a television reporter about his missing wife Shanann and their two daughters. When asked about his hopes for their return, he said:

“I just want them back. I’ll do whatever it takes — whatever anybody wants me to do, I’ll do it.”

But earlier in that same interview, he’d said something far more revealing. When talking about trying to reach Shanann, his language was full of hedging: attempts, maybes, and efforts that didn’t quite land. His commitment to finding them was performative. He wasn’t speaking as a desperate husband searching for his family. He was speaking as someone managing how he appeared while already knowing the truth.

Chris Watts had murdered all three of them.

When investigators hear someone say “I’ll try to cooperate” instead of “I will cooperate,” or “I’m trying to remember” instead of “I remember” — they know to listen harder. Because the word “try” is doing something the speaker hopes you won’t notice: it’s removing the obligation to succeed.

Back to Your Monday Morning

You don’t need to be investigating a crime to use this. You already hear “try” every day — from colleagues, from friends, from family, from yourself.

“I’ll try to make it to the party.” (They’re likely not coming.)

“I’ll try to call you this week.” (They won’t.)

“I’ll try to be on time.” (They’ll be late.)

Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it. And that’s what Statement Analysis does ~ it trains you to hear what people are actually saying, not just what they appear to be saying. It’s a skill that starts with a single word and changes the way you hear everything.

And 'try' is a more obvious word ~ just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to language used to suggest intention, or to subtly deflect or minimise what is said. Training allows you to be able to identify even the most sophisticated variations.

This is what I teach within my classes ~ that statement analysis isn’t confined to criminal cases, it’s for everyday. It is Language Intelligence For Everyday — or L.I.F.E. as I call it.

The same principles that investigators use to detect deception in criminal statements are at work in every conversation you have. The question isn’t whether the language is there. It’s whether you’ve trained yourself to hear it.

The next time someone tells you they’ll “try” — listen. Then decide whether you believe them.

Paul Maillardet is the founder of Truth Unlocked. He provides online self-study courses in Statement Analysis, as well as forensic-level linguistic analysis of criminal cold and live cases. His students and clients include investigators, law enforcement professionals, insurance fraud analysts, HR investigators, and true crime enthusiasts from around the world.

paul@truth-unlocked.com  |  www.truth-unlocked.com