What is the right way to apologize?
By jet2r0cks
@jet2r0cks (190)
Philippines
October 5, 2010 8:27am CST
Greetings everyone!
I just want to know - what would you say is a good way to apologize? I noticed that different people have different ways of apologizing. Some people would think that simply saying sorry is enough. Others would act like they're very guilty, and think that's already considered as apologizing. Other people would give gifts or other material things and that's it. To me, those things are simply not enough.
I think that an apology has to be sincere. When you say sorry, you have to let the other party know that you really feel bad about what you did, and no, that doesn't mean you should act like you're suffering. You have to show that you know what you did wrong, you take responsibility for it, and you must show that you regret doing it and that you wouldn't do it again. That to me is a sincere apology.
I thought of discussing this cause recently, someone hurt my feelings and tried to apologize, but instead of making me feel better I ended up feeling more upset _
1 person likes this
11 responses
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
5 Oct 10
I'd say the right way to apologize is to watch your voice tone as well as your words. Another tip is to admit that you're wrong even though you aren't but this is limited to what your pride can swallow. I observed that it's a plus if you admit your mistake.
1 person likes this
@jet2r0cks (190)
• Philippines
6 Oct 10
hmmm I don't agree to apologizing to something you haven't done, but I don't think humbling yourself and being the first to apologize is a bad idea :) Thank you for your response!
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
5 Oct 10
I think each apology is different and depends on the situation and how badly someone was wronged. I think a face to face apology that is sincere is best. Especially if you've really hurt someone. It doesn't sound like he was sincere when he apologized to you. Especially since he hung up on you.
1 person likes this
@totallyundecided (3190)
• Philippines
6 Oct 10
The right way to apologizing I guess is when one recognizes his/her own faluth right away and be humble that he/she is wrong. Then comes next with sincerity of the apology.
Sometimes, a person is having a hard time giving the "sincere" apology mainly because of ego.
A sincere apology can be sensed right away because we will know if it's from the heart of the one who did wrong to us. Not just saying "i'm sorry" for the sake of trying to find an end for a certain misunderstanding.
@jet2r0cks (190)
• Philippines
6 Oct 10
I agree. Sometimes, having an ego certainly doesn't help in making an apology seem sincere. If you want to give a sincere apology, you gotta be humble. Thank you for your response!
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
5 Oct 10
Immediate I am sorry goes a long way. I am the first to admit when I am wrong. I do not judge people by their mistakes, I would certain shy away by the actions of how they correct the mistakes.
We are all humans and make daily mistakes, acceptance is the first step in my book.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72285)
• Philippines
5 Oct 10
A sincere apology should be one coming from the heart. It doesn't matter in what ways or how you express it as long as it should come from the heart. If saying sorry is like just coming from the nose, it's absolutely not sincere. And making someone feel privileged for having been apologized to is not sincere either. YOu'll know when an apology is sincere because you can feel it from the sound of his/her voice or action. There are no best ways to apologize because sincere apology doesn't need practicing. It is spontaneous.
@marythan (73)
• Philippines
5 Oct 10
i agree with you and toni... an apology should be sincere.
i apologize by asking the person to talk in private, i look at him straight in the eye and sincerely utter the word "sorry" it was my mistake, or sorry to upset you, please don't get mad at me anymore... hope we can patch it up.
that't it for me.
@anurag3786 (6267)
• India
5 Oct 10
I think you can apologies in a simple way. So I always believe in to ask apologies for someone if I feel really I make a mistakes and it hurts someone. So I simply ask them for give me apologies. I think it is a good way to ask for this to someone.
@sweetloveforeve (13106)
• Portugal
5 Oct 10
what makes an apology sincere is admit that you act wrong^^ you should go talk with the person face to face and say: im sorry i didnt mean to hurt you. i was an idiot acting that way and i wont hurt you again. and give a flower in boy's case^^ and give a kiss in cheek to the boy in girl's case^^ thats a sincere apology^^ and im sorry for that guy that made you eve feel guilty after what he did. you should not talk with him anymore till he says he is sorry. he doesnt have the right to talk like he is doing you a favor by talking with you. he made the mistake so he has to say sorry and if you are still upset is bcs you have your reasons^^ he should say sorry once again and show he really is sorry for it^^ dont do nothing till he talks with you and say he regrets^^ and never think you did something wrong^^ if we are sad is normal that when person says sorry we forgive but dont be ok instantly. so wait he says something^^
@mgambongF (53)
• Philippines
6 Oct 10
the right way for me is to be sincere when apologizing.say sorry like you really mean it.for me that is the right way to apologize to someone.
@kjones505 (271)
• United States
5 Oct 10
The words spoken to apologize do not matter at all. It all has to do with the tone. It all comes down to this: Does the person sound genuine and are they truly sorry?
You can come up with the greatest apology in the world but if it doesn't sound sincere then what good is it?
