You are in a heated argument, you say something you shouldn’t have. You hurt a dear friend. What do you do? Practice the art of apology.
Contrary to popular belief it is never too late to apologize. It may be too late to fully mend a scared relationship, but trying to make peace with another person can always happen.
Start with apologizing. And mean it.
In this episode
- Why should we apologize?
- The five different types of apology
- An exercise in appology to restore brokeness
- The danger of half-hearted apologies
References
The Five Languages of Apology by Gary Chapman
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The 5 different types of apology
1 Expressing Regret
Acknowledge their pain and yours. Talk about the inconvenience, disappointment, betrayal of trust done to another.
2 Accepting Responsibility
Though we hate to do this, admit it and say it, “I was wrong.” Also add, “Here is my understanding of how I hurt you.”
“I’m sorry,” basically means, “I’m sorrowful.” Say what you are sorry for.
3 Making Restitution
Ask, “What can i do to make it right?”
4 Genuine Repentance
Repentance basically means to turn around an change. Come with a
plan. Sometimes written is good if you know you can live up to the responsibility of a formal apology.
5 Requesting Forgiveness
Always ask for their willingness to forgive you. Do not demand it.
Is there anyone that you need to forgive?
Do this: Take 5 minutes to make a list of all the people that you need to apologize to OR forgive for something.
Next, take the most important person that you need restitution with and craft an apology. This can be written or verbal, but do it. Share the results with us! 🙂
Want to discuss courageous self-confidence?
Samuel Hatton
Producer
Samuel Hatton is the full-time marketing guy at Endsight – San Francisco Bay Area’s premium locally sourced computer technology support. He’s a multi-talented creative, natural encourager, and is full of courageous ideas.
Weston Pokorny
Connector
Weston Pokorny is a free-lance business technology consultant. People call him when they are faced with major projects they just can't get organized around. He's a master organizer, people connector, and is full of courageous compassion.
