Scribd
Upload
13 views

Email Writing Skills - Part 5.how To 'Empathize' and 'Apologize' If Needed

The document provides guidance on how to express empathy and apologize in emails. It begins by explaining that saying "I'm sorry" does not necessarily mean taking responsibility, but can show empathy for what someone else is going through. It then lists many expressions that can be used to empathize, such as "I'm sorry to hear that" or "I'm sorry you're in pain." After expressing empathy, it recommends including a reassuring statement, like "I hope things get better soon." The document also distinguishes apologizing from empathizing, and provides examples of how to structure an apology by taking responsibility and promising not to repeat the mistake.

Uploaded by

drsuresh26
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
13 views

Email Writing Skills - Part 5.how To 'Empathize' and 'Apologize' If Needed

The document provides guidance on how to express empathy and apologize in emails. It begins by explaining that saying "I'm sorry" does not necessarily mean taking responsibility, but can show empathy for what someone else is going through. It then lists many expressions that can be used to empathize, such as "I'm sorry to hear that" or "I'm sorry you're in pain." After expressing empathy, it recommends including a reassuring statement, like "I hope things get better soon." The document also distinguishes apologizing from empathizing, and provides examples of how to structure an apology by taking responsibility and promising not to repeat the mistake.

Uploaded by

drsuresh26
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 23

EMAIL WRITING SKILLS

How to empathize and apologize if needed


The English language has evolved a lot in the last few years.

The most common expressions used for expressing empathy begin with
the words Im sorry.

We need to know that if a sentence begins with the words Im sorry, it


doesnt mean that were responsible for something that has happened.

For instance, if a loved one passes away in someones family, we say Im


sorry for your loss. This doesnt mean were responsible for the loss. Its
just a way of saying that we are pained by the suffering that the person is
going through.
Here are some expressions that are commonly used to express empathy:
Im sorry to hear that.
Im sorry youre hurting so badly.
Im sorry youre in pain.
Im sorry youre going through such a painful experience.
Im sorry life is being unkind to you.
Im sorry youre going through such a severe inconvenience.
Im sorry your schedule got disrupted.
Im sorry you lost so much time.
Im sorry you lost so much time for nothing.
Im sorry to hear about the stress that youre going through.
Im sorry youre suffering.
Im sorry youre not feeling well.
Im sorry youre so ill.
Im sorry your plans didnt work out.
Im sorry you had to go through so much trouble for nothing.
Im sorry you were treated unfairly.
Im sorry youre not getting your due.
Im sorry youre not getting the recognition you deserve.
Im sorry youre tortured.
Im sorry youre in agony.
Im sorry you have to wait for a solution.
Im sorry life is testing your patience.
Im sorry things arent going your way.
Im sorry things went from bad to worse.
Im sorry youre going through a nasty experience.
Im sorry youre going through a terrible experience.
Im sorry your work is not being appreciated.
Im sorry you feel undervalued.
Im sorry your personal life is getting neglected.
Im sorry your professional life is getting neglected.
After we express empathy, we dont just stop there. We need to say
something reassuring. This is because we need to build bridges of
cooperation. Heres how we can empathize and sound reassuring.

Im sorry to hear that. I hope things get better soon.


Im sorry youre hurting so badly. I hope you feel better soon.
Im sorry youre in pain. I hope you recover soon.
Im sorry youre going through such a painful experience. I hope it ends
soon.
Im sorry life is being unkind to you. I hope that things improve with the
passage of time.
Im sorry youre going through such a severe inconvenience. I hope the
problem gets resolved soon.
Im sorry your schedule got disrupted. I hope things are back on track
soon.
Im sorry you lost so much time. I hope you can make up for lost time
soon.
Im sorry you lost so much time for nothing. I hope you can be strong in
this difficult time.
Im sorry to hear about the stress that youre going through. I hope you
can work your way out of this with your inner calmness and resilience.
Im sorry youre suffering. I hope your suffering ends soon.
Im sorry youre not feeling well. Take good care of yourself and get well
soon.
Im sorry youre so ill. Please take very good care of yourself and get all
the rest you need.
Im sorry your plans didnt work out. I hope you can come up with a
better plan using your intelligence and wisdom soon.
Im sorry you had to go through so much trouble for nothing. I hope you
can use your inner courage to remain resilient.
Im sorry you were treated unfairly. I hope you can heal from this knowing
that youre much better than the treatment you received.
Im sorry youre not getting your due. I hope your efforts and skills are
recognized soon.
Im sorry youre not getting the recognition you deserve. I hope you can
cope with this using your inner courage and wisdom and decide what to
do next.
Im sorry youre tortured. I hope this phase of your life ends and you feel
better soon.
Im sorry youre in agony. I hope your agony ends soon.
Im sorry you have to wait for a solution. I hope you dont have to wait
endlessly.
Im sorry life is testing your patience. I hope things get better soon.
Im sorry things arent going your way. I hope that you can lean on your
inner wisdom and decide what to do to make things better.
Im sorry things went from bad to worse. I hope that you can use that
brilliant mind of yours and think of a way out of this crisis.
Im sorry youre going through a nasty experience. I hope that it ends and
I hope you dont have to go through such an experience again.
Im sorry youre going through a terrible experience. I hope it ends soon
and you dont have to go through anything like it ever again.
Im sorry your work is not being appreciated. I hope that you can look
past this setback knowing that you have a brilliant mind and calmly
decide what to do next.
Im sorry you feel undervalued. I hope that things get better for you soon.
Im sorry your personal life is getting neglected. I hope that you can end
the neglect soon.
Im sorry your professional life is getting neglected. I hope that you can
do what it takes to end the neglect soon.
Theres a huge difference between expressing empathy and apologizing. I
have included both sections in a single presentation to actually emphasize
the difference.

When we express empathy, we express sadness for something that has


nothing to do with us.

When we apologize, we express sadness for something that we have done


(intentionally or unintentionally). Its important to not just apologize but
assure the person were apologizing to that we wont make the same
mistake again.
Here are some ways in which our apologies can begin

Im sorry.
Im extremely sorry.
I apologize.
Im sorry for what happened.
Im sorry for the error.
Im sorry for making a mistake.
Im sorry for not paying attention.
Im sorry for not being attentive.
Im sorry I misunderstood you and reached the wrong conclusion.
Im sorry I didnt study the details.
Im sorry I missed the big picture.
Im sorry I was impulsive.
Im sorry I didnt act fast enough.
Im sorry I didnt send you all the information.
Im sorry I didnt send you the information you needed.
Im sorry you were embarrassed because of me.
Im sorry I made a blunder.
Im sorry I wasnt punctual.
Im sorry I let you down.
Im sorry I didnt understand your time constraints.
Im sorry I forgot.
Im sorry I was preoccupied.
Im sorry for losing my temper.
Im sorry for creating a scene.
Im sorry for using bad language.
Im sorry I was rude.
Im sorry for being so rude.
Im sorry for not being courteous.
Im sorry for not behaving appropriately.
Im sorry I missed the deadline.
Im sorry I didnt complete my work on time.
Im sorry I forgot your instructions.
Im sorry for being callous.
Im sorry for being insensitive.
Im sorry for not behaving like a true professional.
Im sorry for being biased.
Im sorry for being judgemental.
Im sorry for being inefficient.
Here are some ways in which we can add to the first sentence of our
apology

Im sorry. Ill do what it takes to make amends. This wont happen again.
Im extremely sorry. Ill take care of the problem as soon as I can and
make sure this doesnt happen again.
I apologize. This shouldnt have happened and Ill fix this and ensure I
dont repeat this.
Im sorry for what happened. Its my fault. Ill take care of this and make
sure it doesnt happen again.
Im sorry for the error. Ill be more attentive in the future and I wont
repeat the same mistake.
Im sorry for making a mistake. I shouldve been more careful and I
assure you Ill be more careful in the future and this wont happen again.
Im sorry for not paying attention. Ill make sure I pay attention in the
future.
Im sorry for not being attentive. This shouldnt have happened and I
assure you that Ill always be attentive in the future.
Im sorry I misunderstood you and reached the wrong conclusion. Ill be
more careful in the future and not make the same mistake again.
Im sorry I didnt study the details. Ill study them now and Ill be more
diligent in the future.
Im sorry I missed the big picture. I needed to zoom out and take an
aerial view but I got lost in the details. This wont happen again.
Im sorry I was impulsive. I shouldve thought about what I needed to do
instead of reacting. This wont happen again. Ill not be reactive and Ill
always respond.
Im sorry I didnt act fast enough. I ended up wasting precious time. Ill be
more alert in the future.
Im sorry I didnt send you all the information. This was a serious lapse on
my part and it wont happen again.
Im sorry I didnt send you the information you needed. This wont
happen again. Ill be meticulous in the future.
Im sorry you were embarrassed because of me. I shouldnt have put you
in such an awkward position. This wont happen again.
Im sorry I made a blunder. I behaved in a very unprofessional way. I
assure you that this wont happen again.
Im sorry I wasnt punctual. I need to fix this problem and I will. I wont let
you down again.
Im sorry I let you down. I wont disappoint you again. Ill be very careful.
Im sorry I didnt understand your time constraints. I was so insensitive.
This wont happen again.
Im sorry I forgot. I wasnt being attentive and alert. This wont happen
again.
Im sorry I was preoccupied. I got distracted and didnt listen to what you
were saying. This wont happen again.
Im sorry for losing my temper. I feel very ashamed. This wont happen
again.
Im sorry for creating a scene. My behaviour was pathetic. This wont
happen again. Ill be very conscious in the future.
Im sorry for using bad language. I know it mustve upset you. Ill watch
my words in the future.
Im sorry I was rude. I should watch my manners. This wont happen
again.
Im sorry for being so rude. It must be upsetting for you. I wont behave
badly again.
Im sorry for not being courteous. Its my fault. Ill watch my behaviour in
the future.
Im sorry for not behaving appropriately. I deeply regret what I did. It
wont happen again.
Im sorry I missed the deadline. Ill be more conscientious in the future.
Im sorry I didnt complete my work on time. I assure you that this wont
happen in the future. Ill work harder to meet deadlines.
Im sorry I forgot your instructions. I shouldve made a note of them
properly. This wont happen in the future.
Im sorry for being callous. Ill be more sensitive in the future.
Im sorry for being insensitive. Ill respect your sentiments in the future.
Im sorry for not behaving like a true professional. Ill behave like a
thorough professional in the future.
Im sorry for being biased. Ill ensure Im objective in the future.
Im sorry for being judgemental. Ill be fair and non-judgemental in the
future.
Im sorry for being inefficient. Ill work on myself and be efficient in the
future.
Whether we empathize or apologize, we need to choose our words carefully,
based on exactly what we wish to communicate.

Increasingly, most of us communicate with each other over emails. It is


through emails that we can build the bridges of cooperation. Hence, our
emails must have sentiments that we wish to express.

Being communicative and being expressive is a good thing. It shows that


we are good human beings and not just thorough professionals who do our
work mechanically or robotically.
The more sensitive we are to which sentiments we are communicating, the
better we become as communicators.

This thought brings us to the end of this presentation.

Happy Emaling,

~ just another trainer

You might also like