5 Steps to the Perfect Apology

By Ellen Scott

No matter how incredibly awesome you are, sometimes you’re going to do something wrong, and people are going to get upset. That’s when you need to do this little thing called ‘apologizing’. It’s when you admit that you made a mistake and then say sorry for it. But sometimes just saying a quick ‘sorry’ isn’t enough (just a quick hint, you actually need to mean it, too!). If you’ve really messed up, acknowledging that and remedying the situation can be tough. Here are 5 steps to the perfect apology, no matter what you’ve done:

1. Take Responsibility. Know that if someone is upset with you, it is likely for a good reason. Take the time to reflect on what you might have done to upset them. If you haven’t done anything wrong, then don’t apologize. But, if you have, proceed to step two.

2. Apologize immediately. If you have done something inappropriate, don’t try to justify your position in your mind. Let the other person know immediately that you didn’t mean to upset them. Ideally, doing this face-to-face is most powerful or by phone if they live far away. Avoid doing it in an email or through Facebook.

Ready to read the final tips? Click here to brush up on your apologizing technique!