S.W.A.P. Apology

Mistakes happen in relationships. Use SWAP to keep your relationships moving forward.

 

 

Everyone makes mistakes. Unfortunately, sometimes cleaning up mistakes is too hard and people quit the relationship instead. If you want to be better in relationships, learn how to turn mistakes into learning opportunities. Grow your relationships instead of throwing them away.

One great way to keep your relationships strong is to make clear, thorough apologies when mistakes happen. The SWAP tool works very well and it's easy to do:

 

S - Sorry

The first step to making an apology is to simply admit that you've made a mistake. Say "I'm sorry...I made a mistake."

 

W - What happened

Without making excuses, take a moment to explain what happened leading up to the mistake.

 

A - Ask what you can do to make it right

When you've made a mistake, it's important to make it right. The best way to do that, is to ask the other person(s) involved what you can do to to help them get past or feel better about the situation.

 

P - Promise

Once you've heard what can be done to make it right. Make a stern promise that this mistake will not happen again. use this mistake to learn and improve.