My friend says sorry for everything …. in a good moment of conversation, she says it, and in a bad story moment, she says it, too.

I use to get confused with our conversation. I wonder where did it go wrong?

One day, I build my guts to ask her why do you say sorry always when it is truly not necessary.

Her answer was, “what’s wrong with the word I’m sorry, I am just being polite”.

I paused for a moment….

There are more options than “Just Sorry”

Apologizing when we have done something wrong is a real strength, but compulsive apologizing makes others think less of us, or it could lead to meaningless conversation.

💡 Instead of saying “I’m sorry,” say: excuse me, after you or my bad

💡 Instead of saying “sorry to interrupt you,” say: I have an idea….  or I’d like to expand on that…

💡 Instead of saying “sorry to complain,” switch it to Thank you for listening…

💡 Instead of apologizing in an email, consider saying: I appreciate you bringing this error to my attention…. or Thanks for flagging this issue for me…

💡 If you’re running a little late, instead of saying sorry, consider: Thank you for waiting for me…

Isn’t that more pleasing than “Just Sorry”, the latter sets a softer tone and gets the conversation into an uplifting mood.

What other words do you use than “Just Sorry”?

#Civility #Communication #conversationalintelligence