Words to know

the area where you collect your checked bags after a flight

a second plan, used if the first one fails

manage with what you have, even if it isn't ideal

Step 1 of 5

Listen first

No text yet. Listen for who, where and what goes wrong.

WeiAnanya

Practice · 3 min

Shadow Wei first. He's flat and gloomy; let "It only looks tired" sound like a tired joke. Then take Ananya's part. She turns bad news into a timeline: "about twenty hours", "plan B either way". Say those lines firmly, like someone who has already decided things will be fine.

  1. WeiThat's the last bag on the belt, and it isn't mine.
  2. AnanyaAre you sure? Check again. Black, with the red strap?
  3. WeiYes. It's not here. And the three prototypes are inside it.
  4. AnanyaYou checked the prototypes? I thought you were carrying them on.
  5. WeiThey were too big for the overhead bin. The gate agent took the bag at the door of the plane.
  6. AnanyaOkay. The client meeting's at two tomorrow. That gives us about twenty hours.
  7. WeiThe airline might find it tonight. Or next week.
  8. AnanyaSo we need a plan B either way. I still have one prototype in my backpack.
  9. WeiThe old version? The one with the scratched screen?
  10. AnanyaIt works, doesn't it? The software is the same.
  11. WeiIt works. It only looks tired.
  12. AnanyaThen we make do. We show the software on mine and bring photos of the new design.
  13. WeiAnd we tell them the truth? That the airline lost the new ones?
  14. AnanyaYes. Everyone in Sydney has a lost-bag story. They'll laugh, not leave.
  15. WeiFine. I'll report it now and ask them to deliver it to the office if it turns up.
  16. AnanyaGood. And next time, the prototypes stay with you. Even if you have to wear them.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.