How to admit guilt without losing face
Admitting guilt without losing face can be done in three stages.
Do you cringe and crawl into a hole when you have made a mistake? Do you feel a fool and wonder how you will ever again restore your self-esteem, or someone’s confidence in you? How to admit guilt.
There is a way to admit guilt without losing face. It’s not so much what you have done that is important, it is how you behave after you’ve done it!
Everyone makes mistakes, sometimes really idiotic ones. But you will be forgiven quicker, and respected, if you act appropriately afterwards. In fact, if you do the right thing, people will respect you so much for your reaction, that they won’t focus on the mess you’ve made of things. It puts things in perspective.
How to admit guilt when you lose face.
So if you want to achieve that respect next time you make a fool of yourself, here’s what you do: make sure you go through all THREE stages each time. The most important, especially in a work situation, is the third one.
1. Admit or acknowledge the error without delay – before it is discovered by someone else. Be honest – don’t try to cover up – apologise immediately.
2. Say what you will do to rectify the situation (or better yet, what you have already done, as soon as you realised…)
3. Point out what steps you will take/have taken to ensure the same thing does not happen again.
If you have to be defensive, here are some assertive things you could say:
‘I’d like to explain what happened…’
‘I’d like you to be aware of my situation…’
‘I think it is important that you understand the difficulty…’
‘I would like to explain the situation to eliminate any concern there might be…’
If you or someone you know would like a personal consultation, please call +61 439 969 081.
Everyone makes mistakes, sometimes really idiotic ones. But you will be forgiven quicker, and respected, if you act appropriately afterwards.
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