What do you do when you make a mistake? Even the most polished professional stumbles once in a while, and how you handle these moments can make or break your professional relationships. Being able to apologize in a sincere, effective way is an essential communication tool and will help you build connections and establish trust with colleagues and clients. Check out the following strategies and learn to say that you’re sorry in a way that helps you connect with others.
Take Responsibility: Don’t create excuses for your actions. The phrase, “I’m sorry, but…” can completely derail an apology, making it seem insincere and meaningless. If you feel you need to explain your actions, you can, but there is a fine line between explaining and excusing. Choose your words and tone very carefully.
Acknowledge the Consequences: Stating the consequences of your actions can help the other person see that you understand why what you did was wrong and why they’re upset. Whether it’s a concrete consequence, like losing a client, or something more abstract, like making someone feel undervalued, verbally acknowledging the fallout is important.
Offer to Take Action: If there’s anything you can do to rectify the situation, take action, and let the offended party know about your plan. If you can’t think of anything specific that you can do, a simple, “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do,” can work wonders.
Don’t Go Overboard: Be sincere in your apology, but don’t go overboard; if you dwell on your mistake, it will only make the other person uncomfortable and draw more attention to the faux pas. Once you’ve made amends, move on, and try not to bring up the incident repeatedly, no matter how bad you feel.
If your communication skills are holding you back from professional success and you want to make your communication skills your most powerful professional tool. Be sure to pick up a free copy of my e-book “Communicate with Clarity and Confidence!” by subscribing to our newsletter community on our website. You can also visit our resource page and choose from nine different FREE resources that will impact your business today!
Give us a call and see how Corporate Speech Solutions can improve your professional life! Call us at 212-308-7725 or send us an e-mail at jayne@corporatespeechsolutions.com to learn more. I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!