THE PERFECT APOLOGY

A new book, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies, explains the best way to tell someone you’re sorry. Co-authors Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy break down the six (and a half) steps to great apologies. They are:
1. Say you’re sorry. Not that you “regret,” not that you are “devastated.” Say you’re “sorry.”
2. Say what it is that you’re apologizing for. Be specific.
3. Show you understand why it was bad, take ownership, and show that you understand why you caused hurt.
4. Don’t make excuses.
5. Say why it won’t happen again. What steps are you taking?
6. If it’s relevant, make reparations. Pay for the replacement or the repair of what you ruined.
* There you go. Sorry, ladies, for spoiling your book so nobody has to buy it. I have 20 bucks here for you, to pay for a book. Come and get it.
* Maybe next time, don’t let your publisher release a summary of the main points of your book to the media.
* Hey, looking over this list, apparently Will Smith did a pretty good apology for that slap. Does he get any points for that?
* Too bad they couldn’t get an advance copy of the book to Southwest Airlines.
* I thought the perfect apology involved makeup sex somehow.