Businesses are run by real human beings, and unfortunately, humans make mistakes from time to time. When negative situations like this occur, the delivery of an authentic public apology can mean the difference between an ephemeral public relations blip and the permanent destruction of your brand image. While some people are reluctant to apologise as they believe it is an indication of culpability, if you have made a genuine mistake, a genuine apology is the best course of action.
Pick your words wisely
Everyone can remember the highly inappropriate wardrobe malfunction which took place during Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s performance during the 2004 Superbowl. In the field of PR, Justin Timberlake’s apology is still heralded as an example of what not to do when giving a public apology. Addressing a full auditorium while accepting a Grammy award, Timberlake referred to the incident as “unintentional” and went on to say: “I apologise if you guys were offended”. This conveyed that he was sidestepping the issue of blame and his use of the word “if” implied that the incident was only subjectively offensive, which was clearly not the case.
Never use words like “if” and “but” when apologising, as this makes it look like you are hiding from the incident. Always stay in the first person to make the apology personal and try to include the phrase “I apologise” or “I’m sorry” at the beginning of the apology. Also, being succinct is definitely a wise move – the more you talk the more it will sound like you are trying to excuse your actions rather than simply explain yourself (there is a subtle yet distinct difference).
Communicate with the victims
If your mistake involves a specific group of people who have been hurt/harmed/offended, ensure you keep a dialogue open with them until matters are resolved. It’s all well and good conducting a heartfelt public apology, but if you don’t actually take action to rectify your mistake then this will not only cause further offence, it can permanently damage your reputation.
To restore trust with the people you’ve harmed, always apologise to them in private first and go through the things you are going to discuss when you take the apology public. Aim to embark on the process of reparations as soon as possible, as this will prove your commitment and will help to regain trust with public. Whilst it is important to consider legal implications, take responsibility for your company’s error and broadcast via official channels the continued steps you are taking to rectify the situation.
Actually mean what you say!
In the digital era where mass marketing is rife, people have become extremely adept at spotting incongruent behaviour. Even if you agonise to ensure your apology is worded perfectly, minor incongruences in your vocal tone and body language will immediately be scrutinised if they don’t add up to the words coming out of your mouth (Justin Timberlake smirking while apologising is a perfect example of this).
While you can certainly rehearse to make sure that you give a flawless media interview, the more authentic option is to craft words from your heart and actually mean what you say. If you’re looking to regain trust, it’s far more effective to be as trustworthy as possible rather than set out with the objective of building trust by any means. As clichéd as it sounds, when giving a public apology, honesty really is the best policy.
Tags: apology, brand trust, honesty
