In some LGAT (Large Group Awareness Training) and indeed in many coaching methodology, the word TRY is somewhat like a banned word. Many like to quote the green guru of 800 years old of the Star Wars fame:
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“Do, or do not. There is no TRY!”
Yoda said it right.
The argument is that TRY presupposes the possibility of failing. Many organizations have already dropped “trial and error” to put in place “test and measure” for the same reason.
Using muscle-testing exercise, it has been demonstrated that a person’s physiological performance is reduced by the induction of the word TRY in a given instruction. Using the same set of testing parameters, and putting in the phrase DO YOUR BEST instead of TRY, the subjects are able to physically resist a downward pressure exerted on a outstretched arm better.
Some call it mind-body connection (NLP presuppose that the mind and body is a cohesive system), some call it body intelligence while others call it something else. Muscle-testing has been used to elicit unconscious preference and how external stimulus of a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory nature affects a person.
I did a LGAT that discourages the use of TRY. I’ve got no beef with that coz I find the word to be one of the most replaceable word in English.
Just replace it with the verb that comes after it!
One of my coaching client Mary (may be her real name haha) has an issue with getting things done in the proper timeframe (read: procrastination) I observe in the coaching conversation with her that she was peppering it with TRY’s.
“I try very hard to get things started and try to make sure that everything goes by the schedule. I even have problems trying to come up with the schedule!! When I try to tell my boss what’s going on…”
When I ask for her to replace her TRY’s with the first verb that comes after what she said:
“I get things started and make sure that everything goes by the schedule…”
I stopped her and asked her: “So how do you feel about starting and scheduling now?”
Mary’s frown dissolve into a wide grin and poured: “That’s it!! There’s no TRY. It’s either I don’t start meaning that I have something of a higher priority or I start doing the things I was suppose to do!”
Mary discovered the thing that doesn’t exist! It’s so oxymoronic that she feels like a moron. Let’s think about this together.
If you try to do something, what does it really mean?
Let’s say I ask for you to TRY to flare your nostrils.
If you had flared your nostrils, you SUCEEDED in doing so. You failed in TRYing.
If you had not done so, you are not TRYing; you simply did not perform the action.
To try is to be in a state of limbo. You are neither here nor there and it just takes up too much space.
So stop using the word on yourself, it disempower you. For those whose first thought was: “I try my best.” You oughta get shot!! 
Be well.
December 12th, 2005 at 1:57 pm
hi Pete,
I agree totally. Initailly, I was very skeptical bout the whole deal . Since im a new coach i feel its being too bearish to not say the word in watever context. i mean i understand the rationale but u see try is not like a bad word .. OR is it?
It is in fact, Why? Beos it gives us leeway and excuses to fall baCK ON. “i SAID i TRY RIGHT?” sO I FAIL” I TRY ALREADY WAT’
I didnt believe that i cld actually eliminate this pattern. the neuro-connections just formed and i became very consious on wat i said. Adam then told us that if we can’t even rid this try pattern in our life, how’d we goona do greater things in life.? which is so freaking true.
So come on, let us all not try no more but instead let’s do it…. echoing after star wars n Pete..
YEah……
December 14th, 2005 at 3:39 am
Oh Javier, you are not letting a word beat you huh?
No TRY is NOT a bad word. It’s just a word we can avoid using on ourselves. It’s also something that we can stop using when we want to get people into action fully.
You facilitate a LGAT for kids and teens as a coach, you should already know the impact word has on people.
TRY is useful when you want to get people to START doing something while being less useful if you want to encourage a person to keep to the task and complete something.
For example, in retail sales it’s great when you get your customer to TRY on a set of clothes but you don’t want to TRY to get the customer to buy…get it?