Knowing when to say sorry is an essential life skill, especially in a professional environment. It marks us out as self-aware and willing to acknowledge our weaknesses. But should we use those 'sorry's wisely?
Colette Sexton, News Correspondent with The Sunday Business Post and columnist with image.ie, joined Richard Curran on The Business. She thinks that, for some of us, sorry seems to be the hardest word not to say.
Colette believes that the importance of language can be underestimated and that the words you choose are "a reflection of you as a person".
"By constantly saying sorry, you come across as less powerful, more indecisive, more submissive."
This isn’t about necessary apologies, times when we make a serious mistake that inconveniences others.
Richard asked if we could equate this use of "sorry" with the "linguistic mechanism" of the word "like"? Colette thinks so.
"People kind of use the word 'sorry' as a bridge or as an excuse to interrupt a conversation or something like that. And it just affects people, how they’re seen in the workplace when they do do that."
As for how to cut down on unnecessary apologies, Colette has the following advice.
Tell someone that you’re trying to stop doing it so they can hold you accountable. "Rehearse your conversations", especially if you’re nervous about what you need to get across. Then there’s "The Sorry Jar". Colette recommends using it like a swear jar.
"If you still don’t get out of the habit, hopefully, you’ll save up enough money that you can take your sorry self away on holidays somewhere."
You can listen to the full interview from RTÉ Radio 1 in the video above.
