From the course: Crisis Communication

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Apologizing during a crisis

Apologizing during a crisis

From the course: Crisis Communication

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Apologizing during a crisis

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- One fairly common reactive statement is the apology. Done well, an apology can go a long way to restoring public trust. Done poorly, and your apology can make matters much worse. Offering an apology sounds so simple. After all, most of us were taught how to apologize when we were children. And yet, so many organizations botch their apologies and make a bad situation even worse. Let's go over the three components that make up a complete apology for your actions. These are also know as the three Rs of an apology: remorse, responsibility, and repair. When it comes to remorse, you first need to assess whether you actually feel sorry for the actions and outcomes. You can't fake remorse. Even if your audiences are outraged and demanding that you apologize, if you only feel sorry because your audience is mad, don't apologize. Only apologize if you feel genuine remorse for your actions, not for your audience's reactions. "Sorry, but we're not sorry," that's not an apology. And, "I'm sorry…

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