Find out why people have such difficulty apologizing when something has gone wrong. Discover the benefits of apologizing and learn the simple dos and don'ts. Includes a special section on forgiveness!

Why Apologise?

• Acknowledge the wrong doing
• Allows you and the other person to move to a situation of healing
• Decreases heart rate, blood pressure and breathing normalises
• Lets people know you have heard and understood them

Why is Apologising So Difficult?

• People feel vulnerable to being sued or legal action
• Emotional stamina
• "I'm sorry this happened" even though it's not my fault, eg computer crashing at the bank
• Admitting you're wrong is hard

How to Apologise:

• Don't make excuses
• Don't offer the cheap, quick, easy apology
• Don't rush the apology without being ready to listen to the other person
• Don't apologise then do the same thing again
• Don't expect everything to be back to normal straight away
• Do apologise as quickly as possible
• Do give the person the opportunity to vent their anger
• Do let the person know you understand why they're angry
• Do take corrective action while saying sorry

Forgiving Others:

• If you don't forgive you're holding on to a lot of anger and resentment
• Understanding this is important - or it can be very damaging to you both physically and mentally
• Take the grievance less personally
• Look at the offender in a more positive light