August 1st, 2007 in Communication
How To Apologize Sincerely
If you live in Australia, the term “Sorry” has some special meaning, politically. However, everyone could stand to take a step back and look at the way they treat the people they know. It has to do with compassion, and so does this nice ‘how-to’ for apologizing when you should.
Focus on the things you can control. Apologies should never, ever take the form of “I’m sorry you aren’t happy with me” or “I’m sorry you’re mad about this.” Those statements are implicit denials of responsibility. You can only apologize for yourself and for what you have done or failed to do.
At times we can overlook the significance simple actions like these can have on people. The best thing is just being plain sincere.
How to Apologize – [MakesMeWannaDie]
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Comments
uugrrl says on August 2nd, 2007 at 9:13 am
You’re right. A sincere apology (even for the worst of acts) is so simple, and I think it makes both people feel some relief. There’s a wonderful book that analyzes this: Aaron Lazare’s On Apology. I thought it would be a super-intellectual treatment since it’s Oxford University Press, but really it’s not only highly credible and thorough, it’s easy to understand, with many helpful examples.