1. You apologize for your actions, not for the way they were taken. "I'm sorry for what I did", instead of "I'm sorry for how you interpreted what I said". 2.

1. You apologize for your actions, not for the way they were taken. "I'm sorry for what I did", instead of "I'm sorry for how you interpreted what I said". 2. You don't belittle the feelings of others using words like "I'm sorry my rallying cry seemed insensitive" instead of "I'm sorry that my rallying cry was insensitive". 3. You attempt to make amends.