I’m increasingly bombarded with videos and blogs telling me how to handle difficult conversations.
That saying “sorry” shows weakness.
That if I keep saying sorry during difficult conversations, people well take me less seriously.
That if I’m late for a call, I should use “thank you for your patience” instead.
Should I say “sorry”?
Try this at home next time you arrive later than planned.
“Thank you for your patience. I appreciate you holding on”.
Or next time you have a difficult conversation with someone you love.
“I understand your feelings. I’ll fix this right away”.
Try it, and let me know how it goes.
If we fail to accept that behaviour and language at home, why is it acceptable in the workplace?
A regretful trend
I started working in communications in 2010 and even then, I noticed people struggling with “sorry” on difficult conversations training courses.
I remember running a session for a hotel group, where we simulated a real, live guest complaint.
The exchange went something like this:
“I’ve paid £200 for a room with a sea view. And instead, I have a decapitated seagull swinging by a telephone wire outside of my room.
“It’s spoiling the sea view”.
Immediately, the hotel manager became defensive.
“Well, I didn’t know about that. We’ll have it removed. Obviously, I can’t control the birds in the sky”.
The next time we rehearsed it, we included the word “sorry”.
“I’m really sorry about that. That’s the first I’ve heard of it. We’ll move you into a different room straight away while we work on getting it removed”.
It’s a technique we call ‘Regret, Reason, Remedy’.
You express regret, using the word ‘sorry’.
You explain the reason, if you have one.
And you communicate a remedy: how you’ll fix it, or stop it from happening again.
What about the word ‘sorry’ specifically?
Elton John wrote in 1976 that sorry seems to be the hardest word.
It’s precisely this point that makes it powerful in a difficult conversation.
We know it’s difficult to say, so it must mean something.
“I regret this” sounds cold and corporate.
Even worse, “our company regrets…”
“We would like to apologise” has the same effect.
If you’d like to apologise, just do it.
“Sorry” is far more human.
Case study: Polanski vs. Farage
In late July, Green Party leader Zach Polanski shared a post on his social media featuring a T-shirt depicting a guillotine and referring to Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage.
Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire, Polanski later admitted it was a “mistake” but refused to apologise:
“Do you want to apologise to Nigel Farage?”
“Well, if I’d done it deliberately, I’d be apologising, but because this was a mistake, I think the important thing is that I point out it’s a mistake, and also make sure that I condemn political violence. And also, crucially, I make a commitment to be better on my social media”.
My view is that Polanski is so keen to avoid a news story and show weakness that he avoids the obvious apology staring him in the face.
An apology that would show he’s human and elevate him in many people’s opinion.
Having the difficult conversation and coming out the other end in a better position.
Saying sorry is an expression of empathy, rather than an admission of liability.
Say sorry that someone feels the way they do.
Or if you’ve made a mistake, own it.
Difficult conversations training Glasgow
We run difficult conversations training in Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond.
We’ll take you through how to show empathy, assert yourself and influence everyone around you using clear techniques.
Get in touch today to find out how.
Photos in Difficult conversations training Glasgow: Why “sorry” remains crucial in 2026 by Pink Elephant Communications.
Difficult conversations training Glasgow: Why “sorry” remains crucial in 2026 was written by Andrew McFarlan and edited by Maxine Montgomery.
