People Can Tell When an Apology “Doesn’t Taste Right’
Red diamonds are known as the most expensive and the rarest diamond color in the world. It is Communication Intelligence’s hope that the quotes shared in this section of the magazine will be rare “finds” that will be highly valued.
“There are ingredients that make up an effective apology and when any of the ingredients are missing, it just doesn’t taste right. You may not know what is missing, but you know they missed something.
“Also, an effective apology takes a moment. In our fast paced, ‘get ‘er done’ world, we don’t slow down to make sure the apology lands and takes hold. We miss an amazing chance to connect and build the relationship because we are focused on moving ahead, not handling the moment.”
Greg Stephens
Communication consultant and executive coach
President at Choice Consulting
“Many people have never been taught the skills to apologize effectively. Yes, it is a skill.
“Second, and this is hard to hear, we are self-absorbed. We are concerned about our world, not theirs, hence the reason we have to apologize in the first place.
“Third, we don’t want to take responsibility for the infraction. Owning our short comings is not fun and a reminder that we ‘failed’ at something.
“When we focus on this, we miss our growth lesson.”
Greg Stephens
Communication consultant and executive coach
President at Choice Consulting
“There are three ingredients to an effective apology: sincerity, ownership, and being specific. When a person is sincere in their motive, own the mistake they made and specific about what the infraction was, connection is made and the person receiving the apology is more likely to accept it.”
Greg Stephens
Communication consultant and executive coach
President at Choice Consulting
