Catastophize and Take Responsibility

Turn Conflicts into Conversations: Admitting Mistakes Effectively

When you need to tell someone about a problem that could have been avoided, here’s a way to ease the pain for everyone. BEFORE you explain what happened, admit up-front how serious it is, that the other person has every right to be angry, and that you are accepting full responsibility. THEN, explain the problem. This approach often prevents the other person from over-reacting because they don’t feel obligated to point-out the ramifications or who’s to blame. You’ve already done that for them.