"Practice doesn't make perfect," my old Duke fencing coach John LeBar used to tell me. "Perfect apology makes perfect"
So I'm gratified to find examples of people practicing effective apology with the intention to get it right. Check out these blogs/articles.
The Power of Apology. Chris Brogan blogs of communities and social media. He describes a mistake in hwich he sent an email meant for maybe 200 people to a mailing list of over 17,000. Then the complaints started coming in. He wanted to hide but instead apologized and survived to tell about it.
"The Importance of Learning to Apologize" by Kellie B. Gormly, The Pittsburg Tribune-Review, March 16, 2009. Everything you need to know to frame an effective apology.
"The Lost Art of Saying I'm Sorry." by Nancy Gibbs, Time, March 18 2009. A lament for our society lacking the culture of public shame that other cultures have.
"Madoff's Sorry Excuses." By Joe Queenan. Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2009. The columnist and humorist vents his spleen at the inadequecies of Bernie Madoff's apology.
John,
thank you for posting these articles.
I give a credit to Chris Brogan for sharing his personal experience, which I bet was unpleasant, and turning it into a learning opportunity about the power of apology.