Communication – Saying You Are Sorry
September 6, 2007 – 5:07 am
There was a popular movie that came out in 1970 entitled “Love Story.” The film, which starred Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal, was based on a best selling novel written by Erich Segal. If you have some gray in your hair, you probably remember it as the top grossing “chick flick” of that year. You probably had to take your girlfriend to see the movie so you will remember the classic quote from the movie, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” In fact, the quote was ranked #13 in the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movie Quotes. As most of us later found out, that quote only worked in the movies. In real life, you oftentimes do “have to say you’re sorry”, especially when there is a miscommunication of some sort.
Why do you have to say you’re sorry? Because, as we discussed in the previous articles in this series, both the sender and the receiver are at fault when there is a breakdown in communication. Either the sender’s message wasn’t clear or the receiver misinterpreted the meaning, intent, and purpose of the message. Either way, both share some degree of culpability for the miscommunication so an apology should be forthcoming from both sides.
Don’t worry about who is “most at fault”, just suck it up, step back and try to rebuild your relationship. In most cases, a little humility will be worth it in the long run. Remember – effective communication is the key to success!
This is the last in this series of articles. If you found the information useful, take a minute to click on the “Comments” link below and give us your thoughts. If you didn’t find it useful, let me know why.
Other articles in this series:
Communication – Do You Habla Inglese
Communication – You Can’t Just Shout It Out