On last Wednesday, October 21st, the Annual General Assembly marked the beginning of a new season for IPWS. Members and supporters celebrated the accomplishments of the past year and welcomed the new Board members.
We would like to send our best wishes to the outgoing President Rachel Daydou and welcome the new President Olivia Plotnick! You can see read all about the 2020-2021 Board of Directors, Advisors and Committee Members here.
Find out more about last year’s activities, members, achievements and events by reading the full Annual Report available here.
It was an eventful evening that took in the beautiful setting of Funkadeli. We also had the pleasure of hosting a Thought Activator, on a subject that resonated with everyone.
How often do you say “Sorry” in your daily life? Have you ever analysed why and when you do? What are the different reasons you have said “Sorry” for? Do you really mean “Sorry” when utilizing this word? Is it because you want to repair an action? Or do you want to be polite? Or do you want to use it as a way of defending yourself? Or perhaps just to make the other person feel better?
We explored this topic “Sorry, Not Sorry…” with Nishtha Mehta, Corporate Innovation Coach, Collaborative Leadership Trainer and Change Facilitator at CollabCentral Consulting, at IPWS’ October Thought Activator.
This subject resonated greatly with the audience, as many of us frequently face such situations in our daily lives. You are late for a meeting and start to apologize: “I’m sorry…” You disagree with your colleague’s proposal at work: “I’m sorry, but…” You want to make a request and start saying: “Sorry to bother you”. Your boss is not satisfied with your report: “Sorry!…” Your husband/wife is upset about you being very busy at work all the time, and want to make him/her feel better: “Sorry!…”
Actually, we should be aware that we mustn’t misuse or abuse the word “Sorry”! Because if we do, this powerful word loses its magic. This may lead to the consequences such as: people won’t believe it anymore, won’t take us seriously, or will simply ignore our “Sorry!” next time.
Generally speaking, women tent to apologize more often. Nishtha raised a powerful question: “Why do women tent to apologize more often than men?”. There are several answers that were received from the audience: “Women want to be polite”, “Women try to avoid the conflict”, “To be perceived as nice”. Let’s pause here for a second! As a matter of fact, people, who are not confident tent to apologize more often. Have you ever noticed that? Hence, how are we being perceived when we over apologize? Sadly, as a result, others might see us as “unworthy” or “devalued”.
What can we do about it? The conclusion is: we need to be more conscious and build stronger awareness regarding the word “Sorry!”. Here are a few tips from our Activator of the Month Nishtha:
- Sorry, yes!
Expressing sincere regret over no response. “I’m sorry that I lost my temper and yelled at you”.
- Own the script!
Accept responsibility over just a sorry. “What can I do that would make this right between us?” VS “Sorry, I made a mistake”.
- Swap your vocabulary!
Appreciation over apology. Gratitude over guilt. “Thank you for listening to me” VS “Sorry, I’ve been rambling”.
- Act!
Action over words. “Thank you understanding me” VS “Sorry, I’m not making a lot of sense”.
- Make it up!
Offering restitution over reasoning. “We made this mistake, this is how we can fix it and cover your loss” VS “We are so sorry for causing you this loss”.
Don’t let the word “Sorry” lose its magic! Let’s be more mindful and more aware of how and when we apologize.
We look forward to seeing you for more exciting events throughout the 2020-2021 season!
A warm thanks to our wonderful venue for the evening, Funkadeli.
Also a special thank you to our photographer Tracy! She is a lifestyle and documentary photographer and an empowering Life Coach. She specializes in capturing unique moments with families and new-borns. Connect with Tracy on WeChat: wjftracy or on Instagram: @jingfanwoo
