How to Make a Good Excuse for Being Late

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam Posted by Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, Managing Director, Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.



You can only use this hack once, so save it for when you really need it.

There are very few valid excuses for being late. They either verge on the too-common (yes, traffic was hellish but when isn't it and why couldn't you plan for it) or the too crazy (how many times can you say you had to rescue a drowning child). But there is one that can work well:

Next time you are late to meet someone and really need for them to not think negatively of you, call them up and apologize that you are running late because you are currently sitting in your car while a policeman is writing you up for speeding to get to the meeting on time. This excuse explains why you were late but also shows your commitment towards whatever you were late for. True, you were speeding, but you were speeding because you were really eager to make it to the appointment on time--and that makes the person or people you were going to see feel rather special.