
I finally got a text message around 10:00 PM that said, “Hey, I fell asleep after I got off of work. Sorry.”
That’s it, no real apology, no real explanation. How likely do you think I am to work with this person again?
I started thinking about how little apologies mean because of how little thought goes into them. How many times a day do you hear, “I’m sorry” said with no emotion or sincerity? Here are 7 points to include in a sincere apology:
- Be sincere in your apology– “I’m sincerely sorry…”
- What you did– “That I missed our meeting.”
- Why you did it, don’t justify by using the word ‘because’– “I had fallen asleep when I got home from work.”
- How the other person felt– “I know that you must be feeling that I am not reliable…”
- How it impacted the other person- “And that you wasted a lot of time waiting for me…”
- Tell them how you can fix it– “But I would really appreciate it if you gave me another chance.”
- Apologize again and why– “I really am sorry I missed our meeting”
Can you see the difference? Do you think I would work with this person again if they had given me that response? Of course I would because they just let me know that they value my time and want to put forth the effort to make things right. Also, having a sincere apology that explains what happens and how to fix things also does wonders when it comes to defusing a volatile situation.[ad#posts]