It doesn’t matter how brilliant you are at your job, you will, at some point, make a mistake. It’s inevitable. Mess-ups come for us all. Your mistake might be tiny (a ‘reply all’ to an email, for example) or it could be a mighty wrong, but you can rest assured, there will be a moment where you err.

The key to success is not in trying to avoid mistakes at all costs (because that’s impossible – nobody’s perfect), but in apologising readily and bouncing back swiftly. That not only requires releasing your pride, but also the ability to deliver a really good apology.

The good news is that this is an ability you can absolutely pick up. Not sure where to start? Communications expert Matt Abrahams recommends something he calls the AAA technique.

“Saying sorry might seem like a straightforward thing, but there’s a bit of an art to it,” Abrahams notes. “Today, we’re breaking down a simple yet super-effective formula that can help you ace your apology game – the AAA technique. Think of it as your go-to toolkit for fixing things up and smoothing over those little bumps.

“In a nutshell, the AAA method is your ticket to saying sorry in a way that actually means something. It might not be a one-size-fits-all thing, but Acknowledge, Appreciate and Amends are the secret sauce for crafting apologies that fix things up and keep your connections strong.”

Here’s how to do the AAA method.

Made a mistake at work? Here’s how to apologise with the AAA method