Page 141 - The Voice of Authority

again buy their music, see their movies, go to their ball
games, or elect them to office.
There’s only one exception to this rule: If the celebrity
tries to offer a pseudo-apology, one with no real admis-
sion of wrongdoing. (For familiar examples, see Fig. 7.1).
When that’s the case, the media and public chew on the
story until the celebrity spits out an admission of guilt.
Only then does life resume for the wronged and the ha-
rangued.
Ditto at the office. People have difficulty offering an out-
right apology—an expression of “I’m concerned because
I made a mistake/I did something wrong.” And they get
the same kind of reaction as celebrities do to their pseudo-
apologies.
What makes a good apology?

1. Admission of error, guilt, or wrongdoing. The person
accepts responsibility for what was said or done and
its inappropriateness, inaccuracy, weakness, hurtful-
ness, insensitivity, or whatever.
2. Specificity. Apologizing specifically sounds sincere.
Global, blanket apologies convey lack of concern or
understanding of the situation or damage caused.
3. Amends. Apologizing typically involves some at-
tempt to make things right, some words or gesture
of goodwill toward the offended person or group.

Children learn these steps before they learn to count.
But medical schools and hospitals are increasingly adding
“How to Apologize” to their curriculum for grown-ups to
learn as ways to head off malpractice lawsuits. According
to a story by Associated Press, the hospitals in the Univer-
sity of Michigan Health System have been encouraging
doctors to apologize for mistakes. As a result, the system’s

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