Apology Generator
Craft genuine, effective apologies using best practices
A genuine apology has structure. Fill in each component to craft one that actually repairs trust.
Name the specific action or behavior. No vagueness.
Tip: Be specific. 'I'm sorry I interrupted you three times in the meeting' > 'I'm sorry if I was rude'
Show you understand how it affected them.
Tip: Focus on their experience, not your intention. 'You felt dismissed' > 'I didn't mean to dismiss you'
Own it without excuses or qualifiers.
Tip: No 'but' after 'sorry.' No 'if you felt.' Just own it cleanly.
What will you do differently? Be specific.
Tip: Concrete changes show sincerity. 'I'll set a reminder to check in weekly' > 'I'll try to be better'
Ask what they need, or if they're open to moving forward.
Tip: Give them agency. They don't owe you forgiveness on your timeline.
“I'm sorry you feel that way”
Shifts blame to their feelings
“I'm sorry, but...”
The 'but' erases the apology
“If I hurt you...”
'If' questions whether harm happened
“Mistakes were made”
Passive voice dodges ownership
“I already said sorry”
Pressures forgiveness
“Everyone does this”
Minimizes the specific harm