How to write an apology letter: 15 Steps (with Photo) - tips

Content

Steps
Advice
Warning

Apologizing in person is more sincere, but a formal letter is sometimes the only option to apologize or may be preferred. To write an apology letter, you need to admit your mistake from the beginning, acknowledge the other party's feelings of hurt, and take full responsibility for yourself. In many cases, you need to come up with a solution to fix problems related to the root cause of the incident. If you want your apology to be sure to work and not hurt, try to be clear and sincere when writing the letter.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Expressing your apology

Write about the purpose of the letter. Open the message by letting the recipient know it is an apology. This will help prepare them mentally and emotionally to finish the letter. You should not let the other side be confused about why you are writing the letter, or wonder what you are going to write in the letter.
- Write something similar to: "I want to write this letter to apologize to you".
Recognize your mistake. Once you admit you are at fault, identify what your mistake is and why it is not. Expressed accurately and in detail. When you document and analyze the problem, the recipient will know that you truly understand what you did.
- For example, you could write: “My job last weekend was very inappropriate, disrespectful and too selfish. His wedding is to show happiness and honor his love. But I drew attention on my side when I proposed to Lan Anh. I have taken away your precious moment, and that is not true ”.
Acknowledge how much you upset them. Acknowledge that they have been hurt and that you understand their sadness. This is also a good time to say that you never want them to hurt.
- Saying something like: “Phương told me that my actions not only ruined the memorable moments of your wedding, but also made your honeymoon lose the wonderful happiness it should have. I hope you understand that I never meant that. I want you to remember only happy things whenever you recall that moment, but my selfish actions ruined everything and robbed you of your happy moments. Although I don't really understand how you feel, I certainly do understand that I did what was probably the worst thing for you ever. ”
Express your gratitude. Although not required, but if you want, you can acknowledge the efforts and good things they've done for you in the past. This will show them that you appreciate them and really feel guilty about what you did.
- For example, “What I did to you was terrible after how much warm feelings you gave me when receiving me into your family. Not only did he show his beautiful love for his sister, but he also gave me support and kind treatment that I might never dare to expect. My work has filled the heart that you have for me and I hate myself because of this.
Responsibility. This is one of the most important parts of the apology letter but also the hardest to say. Even if the other person is partially at fault, you should not mention it in this letter. All you need to do is openly admit responsibility for the incident. Maybe your job has a reason, but you shouldn't be shy about admitting what you did to upset the other person.
- Say something like: “I want to explain what I did, but when I think about it, I don't see any excuses for those actions. My intention, no matter how good, doesn't mean anything here: it's just my bad choice. I accept full responsibility for my selfish actions and the sadness I have caused you.
- No excuses for your actions, but you can explain the reasons with caution. If you really feel it is necessary or will help improve the situation, you can explain why you made that choice. Only do this if you think the other person will be more comfortable understanding why.
Offer a solution to help change the situation. Just saying sorry is not enough. Apologies will be more convincing if you find a way to solve the problem in the future. This is even better than the promise that you will never make the same mistake again. When you plan to change along with how you will do it, the other person will find that you really want to improve the situation.
- You can say, “But it's not enough just to apologize. You deserve more than that. When you get home, Lan Anh and I want to have a big welcome party for you. It will be the biggest party ever and completely dedicated to the great love he has for his sister. If you don't like to party then it's okay, I just want to find a way to help you have memorable happy moments that I took from you.
Describe that you want a better interaction in the future. You should not ask for forgiveness right away. This sounds demanding to the person you're apologizing to, even though you don't mean it. Instead, express your desire for the two of you to interact better in the future.
- Said, “I can't expect you to forgive, though very hopefully. I can only say that I really want everything between us to be fine. I want you to feel good and finally be happy when we meet. I hope our relationship will be back as well as before. Hopefully we will get over this incident and have a better time together ”.
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Part 2 of 3: Apologize properly

Don't promise to change if you're not 100% sure you can keep it. This is very important. If you make a mistake that you feel you are likely to commit again, or the mistake is caused by an intrinsic difference in personality or belief in values, you should not promise to change, because chances are you will make the same mistake again and then apologize again, and so is insincere.
Consider your language. Apology is actually a skill. In essence, no one wants to do this and often has to fight themselves. That is why you need to be careful when using the language of your letter if you want to apologize properly. Some words that sound sorry but actually make the situation worse because it implies that you are not really sorry. These words are very easy to accidentally use, so be careful when writing a letter. Some examples include:
- "Something went wrong ..."
- The phrase "If", such as "I apologize if you feel bad" or "If you feel resentful about this ..."
- "I'm sorry you felt that way."
Sincere and honest. When apologizing, you need to be sincere and honest about your apology. If this is not the case, perhaps in many cases you should wait until you really feel sorry before apologizing. When writing a letter, avoid formality and stereotypes. Don't just copy certain letters online. You need to be specific about your situation so the other person knows that you really understand what happened and why it wasn't true.
Avoid making your assumptions and expectations in your apology letter. You don't want your letter to sound demanding, rude, or hurting even more. You don't want to try to make the other person feel guilty if you don't forgive you or make the letter mean it. You should also not make assumptions about how they are feeling and why they are upset, as you may reveal that you do not understand much of what happened. It's best to use humble language and let the other person feel in control of the situation. This wording may make them forgive you.
Wait a day or two before sending the message. If possible, you should wait a few days before sending. You need to reread your letter when your feelings have subsided and what you've written down. advertisement

Part 3 of 3: Presentation of letters

Choose the best way to open a message. With an apology letter, you should start with a regular greeting like "... dear". It is best not to begin with fancy words and write greetings as simple as possible.
End the letter courteously. If you don't know any other way to end the letter, you can use the basic "Sincerely ..." greeting. However, you can also get a little more creative so that the letter doesn't look like a sample letter. Try using statements like "I sincerely thank you for listening to me" or "Once again, I'm so sorry for the trouble I caused, I hope I can fix the problem."
Consider presenting a formal letter of apology. In a formal or professional setting, make sure your apology letter is in the right format. In addition to printing on plain paper, you should also include your date, name, organization name, signature and formal presentation.
- You can also adjust the style in the message to better suit the situation.
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Advice

You just need to say what you think. Sincereity is of the essence. If you make a promise, you should keep it.
You may have to control your self-esteem when writing your apology. Narcissism won't help you; After all, good relationships are priceless.
Make sure the letter is not too short. A few lines of text won't work in this case. Show the person that you have put a lot of time and energy into the letter.
If writing a long letter is difficult, you can ask a friend or family member for help. They know what you want and will be more than happy to help.
Try to admit your fault, don't blame anyone else. This shows your maturity and responsibility.
The letter should be short and courteous; Go straight to the point and take full responsibility for yourself.
Try to explain why you did this. This may make the other person more comfortable if they know that you are not malicious.

Warning

Not adding anything might upset the recipient, as they won't take your letter seriously and probably won't forgive you.
Remember that an apology cannot magically fix things. If the other person doesn't forgive you, let it go and know that you've worked hard.