Дистанційне навчання 10-A (19.12.2020)
Lesson
Saturday, the ninteenth of December
Theme: Letter of Apology
An apology letter
is a physical document or email that
acknowledges a mistake, expresses regret and asks for the letter recipient's
forgiveness or patience. Apology letters are important in the workplace because
they create a physical or digital record of your admitting to and attempting to
rectify a mistake or failure. Employees who are able to recognize when they are
wrong and who make an effort to fix their mistakes are valuable additions to
any professional team.
Writing an effective apology letter can be challenging but is also an
incredibly significant skill. If you can humbly acknowledge your shortcomings
and make amends for your mistakes, you are likely to be an effective employee
and an asset to your workplace.
How to write an
apology letter
When the time comes to write an apology letter, you
may find yourself at a loss as to how to start, what to say and how much to
write. Here are some simple steps you can follow to help you write an effective
apology letter:
1. Acknowledge your
mistake
The first step in writing an apology letter is
informing your reader what the letter is about. Your first sentence should
explain what you have done wrong and acknowledge the consequences that your
mistake has had. For example, your letter might begin:
"Jackie, I need to tell you that
I was the one responsible for sending you the wrong flight information for your
most recent business trip. I realize that my mistake made you miss your flight
and caused you unnecessary stress."
Owning up to your mistake from the very beginning
of your letter will help you seem sincere and humble. It will also ensure that
your recipient hears about your mistake from you instead of through office
gossip. Confronting your mistake and reaching out to the affected party
directly will help you resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
2. Apologize
sincerely
The next step in writing your letter is to
apologize. A sincere apology will involve saying "I am sorry" without
any excuses or caveats. In many cases, a genuine apology that does not attempt
to shift blame to anyone else is sufficient in earning your recipient's
forgiveness. Part of apologizing sincerely is expressing your regret for the
consequences you caused. For example, you might say:
"I am sorry for forgetting to
email you the financial report you asked for. I felt awful when I heard that
you had to reschedule your meeting with accounting because of my
forgetfulness."
3. Share your plan
to fix the problem
In addition to expressing your regret, you will
also need to find a way to improve the situation. Assuring your recipient that
you will do everything you can to make the matter right is a good place to
start, but it will be even better if you can share the specific steps you will
take to do so. Having this kind of plan shows your recipient that you recognize
you owe them in some way and that you have put serious thought into how you can
make the situation better. For example, you might write:
"I realize that my mistake made
you look bad in front of the district manager. I have already called the
district office and scheduled a meeting so I can explain that I am actually the
one to blame."
4. Ask for
forgiveness
Your letter should conclude with a specific attempt
at making things right between you and your recipient. In most cases, this
should involve a direct request for forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness shows
that you realize the matter is not truly resolved until your relationship with
the recipient is mended. It also invites the recipient to contribute to
resolving the issue and finding closure. An example of this might be:
"I need to humbly ask for your
forgiveness. I know that my mistake upset you, but I can hope we can resolve
this and continue to work well together."
5. Deliver the
letter
Depending on the situation and your relationship
with the recipient, you might choose to either email your letter, send it by
post or deliver it in person. If your mistake was an accident and if you and
your recipient are equals in the workplace, a simple email would probably
suffice. However, if your mistake was a result of poor judgment and if it
affected your supervisor, manager or your entire team, it would likely be
better to print the letter out and deliver to a superior's office in person.
Regardless of the particular situation, the most important things to focus on
are sincerity, humility and honesty.
Useful Language for
Letter of Apology
Opening Remarks for
Letter of Apology:
Formal
·
I am writing to apologise for
·
l must apologise for
·
Please accept my sincerest apologies for
·
How can I apologise enough for
·
l must apologise profusely for
Informal
·
I hope you will understand when I say that
·
What can I say, except I'm sorry that…
·
l’m sorry for
·
I owe you an apology
·
l’m so sorry if I upset you in any way
·
I can’t describe how sorry I am and how guilty I feel
Closing Remarks for
Letter of Apology:
Formal
·
Once again, sincerest apologies for
·
l hope you will accept my apologies
·
l hope my apologies will be/are accepted
Informal
·
I hope you believe me when I say how sorry I am
·
l can’t tell you how sorry I am
·
I beg you to forgive me for
·
There is no excuse for... and I hope you’ll forgive me
Tips for writing
apology letters
Here are some specific tips on how to write an
effective apology letter:
- Be sincere. The most important
thing to communicate in an apology letter is genuine emotion. If your
letter is too stiff or impersonal, your reader is not likely to appreciate
the gesture. Try to imagine how the other person is feeling and respond
appropriately. It may also help to read your letter out loud before
sending it to make sure it sounds natural.
- Be concise. Frequently,
individuals find it hard to stop apologizing once they have started. Try
to limit your word count and pack as much meaning as you can into just one
or two paragraphs. If your letter is genuine, it should not take more than
a few sentences to communicate your message effectively.
- Be selfless. One of the primary
temptations when penning an apology letter is to try to deflect blame onto
others. It is important to take full responsibility for your actions, even
if it damages your reputation or hurts your pride. Focus on the
consequences of your actions and how you contributed to the problem.
Additionally, be willing to make whatever personal sacrifices are
necessary to make things right with your reader.
Apology
letter examples
Here are a couple
of examples of successful apology letters:
Example
1
Dear Isaac,
I apologize for excluding you from the company holiday party I
hosted last week. I neglected to update my personal directory and accidentally
left you and several other recent hires off of the invite list. I assure you
that the exclusion was not intentional and that I feel terrible about my
mistake.
It is very important to me to be a team player in our workplace,
and I typically make a point of reaching out to new employees and making them
feel welcome. I am disappointed in my oversight and I regret any pain or stress
I caused you. I have already added your contact information to my personal
address book and I assure you that something like this will never happen again.
I sincerely ask for your forgiveness. I hope my mistake has not
damaged our relationship and I look forward to getting you to know better at
the next company gathering.
All the best,
Rachel
Example
2
Mr. Anders,
Please accept my sincere apology on behalf of Edgar Wright Motors.
We are so sorry to hear that your experience with the auto parts that we
delivered did not meet the specifications you sent us. Our design and
manufacturing teams should have studied your request more thoroughly and asked
for your approval before shipping the final product. We understand this mistake
and the delay that it has caused has been frustrating for you.
We take full responsibility for our fault in this situation and
would like to replace the incorrect parts and offer you a company gift card for
$100, usable in any of our 15 locations and through our online store. We hope
you will accept this gesture of apology. Our development team will contact you
soon to discuss your order and make certain that the replacement parts meet
your needs.
We want to assure you that this type of issue will never present
itself again. We have taken initiative with our manufacturing team to make sure
special orders are filled more carefully in the future. We value you and your
business and we hope to continue our professional relationship moving forward.
If you have any questions or want to discuss this matter
further, please contact me directly or any member of our Customer Service team.
Yours Sincerely,
Jack Dylan
Regional Manager
Edgar Wright Motors
Homework:
Write
a letter on one of the suggested topics
