Have you recently made a fatal mistake or hurt someone's feelings? If so, feel free to apologize in a sincere and effective way, such as by writing a letter. In fact, writing an apology letter – whether personal or professional – is quite useful for correcting your mistakes as well as your relationship with the person concerned. However, make sure you apply the various methods below to make your letter sound sincere and to the point.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Creating a Personal Apology Letter
Step 1. Ask what you can do to improve the situation
Chances are, the person in question knows exactly what you need to do to fix the error. Asking their opinion shows your willingness to do whatever it takes to accept their apology and improve the situation.
For example, you could say, "I realize I messed up your party because I didn't come even though I had an appointment. Do you want me to treat you to a drink at the cafe or I make dinner at my house, so you don't get angry anymore? You know, our friendship is very important to me.."
Step 2. Offer the possibility of meeting to apologize in person
Even if it really depends on the problem at hand, try asking him out so you can apologize in person. Before ending the letter, express your desire to meet him in a neutral location so you can apologize in person. Although the offer may be rejected by him, still offer it.
For example, you might say, “I really wanted to meet you so I could apologize in person. Please tell the time that suits you, okay?"
Step 3. Use a closing greeting that is able to represent your emotions
If the letter is personal, make sure you also use an informal and emotional closing greeting. For example, you could put “Greetings,” “Sorry,” or “Greetings,” at the end of the letter.
Method 2 of 3: Creating a Professional Apology Surat
Step 1. Offer a solution to the related problem
If the apology is addressed to your business customers, make sure they know that you are serious about correcting the error. For example, try to offer solutions that are relevant and workable, rather than simply wanting to be heard by customers.
If the letter is addressed to a customer of your business, try saying, "To correct a past delivery error, we will return the same product without shipping and offer a 30% discount on your next order."
Step 2. Make it clear that a similar situation will not happen again
In the last paragraph, describe the various preventive steps you have taken to prevent the same mistakes from happening again in the future. Be specific about all the prevention methods you've taken and how effective they were in dealing with the same problem.
For example, you might say, "So far, I've implemented a variety of methods to prevent future project delays from happening. One of them is setting up an online calendar to remind me one week, one day, and 8 hours before project completion deadlines., I have also made a more detailed list of job responsibilities so that every project I work on can be completed on time."
Step 3. Put a proper closing greeting
If the letter is for business purposes, make sure you use a formal greeting such as, “Sincerely,” or “Greetings,” to close the letter.
Method 3 of 3: Determining the Tone of the Letter
Step 1. Use a polite and professional tone of voice for an apology letter to a business associate
If the apology is addressed to your boss or another business partner, keep your tone polite, formal, and professional. Explain the situation and apologize accurately, straightforwardly, and clearly. Don't use an overly familiar style of speaking in the hope that the other person will be able to forgive you more easily afterwards.
- For example, you could say, "Once again, I sincerely apologize for the error that occurred. In the future, I promise to take various preventive steps to ensure that such a mistake does not happen again."
- Don't say, "I'm really sorry! I hope you'll forgive me,". The sentence sounds too informal for a professional apology letter.
Step 2. Use a sincere and honest tone of voice
If the apology is addressed to someone important in your personal life, make sure the tone of the letter is personal to make your letter feel more honest and less forced.
For example, try saying, "I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings by going too far when you were joking. I didn't think before I spoke, but now I understand why you're angry. I'm sorry."
Step 3. Don't make excuses
Every mistake will be motivated by a situation. However, don't use the situation as an excuse to justify your mistake! Trust me, doing so will make your apology sound insincere. Stay focused on the mistake you made and your apology!
For example, instead of saying, “I'm sorry that this project was neglected. But at that time, my son was sick and after that my time was taken up by family vacations," try saying, "I'm sorry that this project was neglected. Based on this experience, I have devised a specific plan to prevent the same situation from happening again in the future."
Step 4. Don't blame others
No matter how tempting it may be to blame someone else in your apology letter, don't do it! Trust me, all your words in the body of the letter will be meaningless if you do. As a result, it will be difficult for the person concerned to accept your apology afterwards.
Step 5. Sign the letter
Take the time to add your personal touch (such as a signature) to the letter; show that the letter is really important to you. You must print and sign both personal and professional letters before giving them to the person concerned.
- A professional apology letter should be sent through a more formal channel (such as postal mail). Meanwhile, you can submit a professional apology letter yourself to the person concerned.
- If you have trouble signing the letter in person, at least include a digital signature. Some computer programs provide special options for creating digital signatures and affixing them to various documents. If you want, you can also put your signature on a piece of paper, scan it, save it on your computer in an image format, and then insert it into the required document.
