August 6, 2025 • 9 mins
Patrick Woodward and Megan Nollet give us five tips on how we can successfully apologize to someone. They also talk about the benefits of an apology that is given with a sincere attitude.
https://spotlightenglish.com/relationships/the-power-of-apology/
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https://spotlightenglish.com/relationships/the-power-of-apology/
Download our app for Android at http://bit.ly/spotlight-android
Download our app for iOS at http://bit.ly/spotlight-apple
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spotlightradio
Are you learning English? Are you looking for a way to practice your English? Listen to Spotlight to learn about people and places all around the world. You can learn English words, and even practice English by writing a comment.
Visit our website to follow along with the script: http://spotlightenglish.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Patrick Woodward.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And I'm Megan Nolette. Spotlight uses a special English method
of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no
matter where in the world they live.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I am sorry. This phrase is one of the most
powerful phrases in the English language. It's something that is
often difficult to say. Saying I am sorry means that
you regret something you did or said. Saying I am
sorry is a kind of apology. It's a way to
admit that you were wrong. Today's Spotlight is on the
(00:48):
power of apology.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
On the streets of Nalanda, India, a man sits wearing
very dirty clothes. His clothes are made from old cloth bags.
Old shoes hang around his neck. His name is Shayam
Narayan Sharma. He has a dark past. Years ago, he
(01:12):
admitted to the murders of sixteen people.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
As a young man, Sharma worked as an assassin, a
person who kills other people for money. He was fifteen
years old when he killed his first person, but this
was not his only crime. In nineteen eighty six, he
stole a child. He asked the parents to pay him money,
then he would return the child, but After three weeks
(01:43):
holding the child, Sharma let the child go. He said
he felt sad for the child. The story became famous,
but the police never caught him.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Sharma also owned a factory. Like many people in Nalanda,
he made guns. Making these guns was illegal, but it
made Sharma a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
But after years of crime, Sharma went to the police.
He admitted his crimes. The police put Sharma in prison
for a few years, but when he was released, Sharma
went back to a life of crime. He went back
to the police again in nineteen ninety five and finally
again in two thousand.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
During his time in prison, Sharma read many books. These
books changed his life. Some of the books were religious
books like the Christian Bible. Sharma says that these books
changed the way he looked at life. He started teaching
other prisoners how to read. He then changed his name
(02:53):
to Daya Sagar. This new name means ocean of sadness
and caring.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
After four years in prison, he was permitted to leave,
but Dia Saga would not leave the prison unless the
police promised to keep teaching the other prisoners how to read.
The guards had to force Diasaga to leave the.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Prison After prison, Diasagar sold his home. He used the
money to start a school for poor children. He called
the school Naisuba, which means New Morning. Diasagar teaches sixty
children from the village. He does this for free.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
At the beginning of this program, we described Diasaga's strange
clothing clothes made from cloth bags with shoes around his neck.
His strange clothes are away for him to recognize his
crimes and ask forgiveness. The school and his clothes are
away for Diasaga to apologize.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Diasagar apologized for all the bad things that he did,
but can a person apologize for things that other people did? Well?
In the year two thousand, Pope John Paul did just that.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
The Catholic Church has existed for more than a thousand years.
In this time, the Church has done many great things,
but in his apology, the Pope said that the Church
has also hurt people. Church policy has caused division and suffering.
Sometimes people have died as a result.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
So the Pope apologized. He apologized to several special groups,
including Jews, Gypsies, women, and native people. He apologized for
the pain the church caused to people who were not Catholic.
He apologized for many historical events.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
The pope even apologized to Galileo. Galileo was a scientist
in the seventeenth century. He was one of the first
people to say that the earth moved around the sun.
At this time, the church leaders did not believe this.
They thought the sun moved round the earth, so the
church put Galilea on trial and sent him to prison. Today,
(05:16):
scientists and the church agree that the earth moves around
the sun. Pope John Paul wanted to show the world
that the Church cares about the truth. He wanted to
show that any personal group can be wrong sometimes.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Many church leaders were not sure if it was a
good idea for the pope to do this. They thought
that the church should not admit that it was wrong.
They believed that people would not trust them, that it
would take away from the church's authority. But the pope disagreed.
He thought that it was important to apologize.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Many doctors agree that apologizing is import and apologies are
good for the giver and receiver. When a person receives
an apology, they begin to feel emotional healing. Apologies help
people move past anger. When a person does something wrong,
they feel bad about it. This feeling can be emotionally damaging.
(06:19):
Apologizing helps to heal these emotions. Apologizing shows that you
respect the person you wronged. Apologizing also helps keep the
person from doing that bad thing again.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Is there something that you have done that you feel
bad about? Is there a person who you have treated badly?
Do you need to say I am sorry to someone?
Here are five things you can do to have a
successful apology.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
One make your apology real. Mean what you say. People
can tell if you make responsibility for what you did
or if you are lying.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Two do not make excuses. An apology is not explaining
why you did something, It is saying that you were
wrong to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Three make a promise to change. A real apology shows
that you've learned from what you did. Show that you
mean what you say.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Four make it clear that you are apologizing. Just saying
I am sorry is not enough. Talk about what you
did and then say that you feel bad about doing it.
It is important that the person knows you are apologizing
to them.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Five. Be prepared for the unexpected. Sometimes an apology is
followed by the other person apologizing. Relationships can be healed,
friendships can be formed, but sometimes an apology does not
solve all the problems. It may take time for the
person to accept your apology. The person may stay angry
(08:07):
with you. You never know how things will end, but
an apology can usually help.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Whom do you need to apologize to today?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
How have you apologized to those you have heard? What
gives you hope that your apology can change a relationship?
What happens if you apologize and the other person does
not accept your apology. Tell us what you think. You
can leave a comment on our website at www dot
Spotlight English dot com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok,
(08:44):
Blue Sky, and x. You can also get our programs
delivered directly to your Android or Apple deevice through our
free official Spotlight English app.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
The writer of this program was from the Spotlight team.
The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were
from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes
were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You
can listen to this program again and read it on
(09:16):
the internet at www dot Spotlight English dot com. This
program is called The Power of Apology.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
We hope you can join us again for the next
Spotlight program, Goodbye,
Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Patrick Woodward.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And I'm Megan Nolette. Spotlight uses a special English method
of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no
matter where in the world they live.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I am sorry. This phrase is one of the most
powerful phrases in the English language. It's something that is
often difficult to say. Saying I am sorry means that
you regret something you did or said. Saying I am
sorry is a kind of apology. It's a way to
admit that you were wrong. Today's Spotlight is on the
(00:48):
power of apology.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
On the streets of Nalanda, India, a man sits wearing
very dirty clothes. His clothes are made from old cloth bags.
Old shoes hang around his neck. His name is Shayam
Narayan Sharma. He has a dark past. Years ago, he
(01:12):
admitted to the murders of sixteen people.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
As a young man, Sharma worked as an assassin, a
person who kills other people for money. He was fifteen
years old when he killed his first person, but this
was not his only crime. In nineteen eighty six, he
stole a child. He asked the parents to pay him money,
then he would return the child, but After three weeks
(01:43):
holding the child, Sharma let the child go. He said
he felt sad for the child. The story became famous,
but the police never caught him.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Sharma also owned a factory. Like many people in Nalanda,
he made guns. Making these guns was illegal, but it
made Sharma a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
But after years of crime, Sharma went to the police.
He admitted his crimes. The police put Sharma in prison
for a few years, but when he was released, Sharma
went back to a life of crime. He went back
to the police again in nineteen ninety five and finally
again in two thousand.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
During his time in prison, Sharma read many books. These
books changed his life. Some of the books were religious
books like the Christian Bible. Sharma says that these books
changed the way he looked at life. He started teaching
other prisoners how to read. He then changed his name
(02:53):
to Daya Sagar. This new name means ocean of sadness
and caring.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
After four years in prison, he was permitted to leave,
but Dia Saga would not leave the prison unless the
police promised to keep teaching the other prisoners how to read.
The guards had to force Diasaga to leave the.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Prison After prison, Diasagar sold his home. He used the
money to start a school for poor children. He called
the school Naisuba, which means New Morning. Diasagar teaches sixty
children from the village. He does this for free.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
At the beginning of this program, we described Diasaga's strange
clothing clothes made from cloth bags with shoes around his neck.
His strange clothes are away for him to recognize his
crimes and ask forgiveness. The school and his clothes are
away for Diasaga to apologize.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Diasagar apologized for all the bad things that he did,
but can a person apologize for things that other people did? Well?
In the year two thousand, Pope John Paul did just that.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
The Catholic Church has existed for more than a thousand years.
In this time, the Church has done many great things,
but in his apology, the Pope said that the Church
has also hurt people. Church policy has caused division and suffering.
Sometimes people have died as a result.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
So the Pope apologized. He apologized to several special groups,
including Jews, Gypsies, women, and native people. He apologized for
the pain the church caused to people who were not Catholic.
He apologized for many historical events.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
The pope even apologized to Galileo. Galileo was a scientist
in the seventeenth century. He was one of the first
people to say that the earth moved around the sun.
At this time, the church leaders did not believe this.
They thought the sun moved round the earth, so the
church put Galilea on trial and sent him to prison. Today,
(05:16):
scientists and the church agree that the earth moves around
the sun. Pope John Paul wanted to show the world
that the Church cares about the truth. He wanted to
show that any personal group can be wrong sometimes.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Many church leaders were not sure if it was a
good idea for the pope to do this. They thought
that the church should not admit that it was wrong.
They believed that people would not trust them, that it
would take away from the church's authority. But the pope disagreed.
He thought that it was important to apologize.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Many doctors agree that apologizing is import and apologies are
good for the giver and receiver. When a person receives
an apology, they begin to feel emotional healing. Apologies help
people move past anger. When a person does something wrong,
they feel bad about it. This feeling can be emotionally damaging.
(06:19):
Apologizing helps to heal these emotions. Apologizing shows that you
respect the person you wronged. Apologizing also helps keep the
person from doing that bad thing again.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Is there something that you have done that you feel
bad about? Is there a person who you have treated badly?
Do you need to say I am sorry to someone?
Here are five things you can do to have a
successful apology.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
One make your apology real. Mean what you say. People
can tell if you make responsibility for what you did
or if you are lying.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Two do not make excuses. An apology is not explaining
why you did something, It is saying that you were
wrong to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Three make a promise to change. A real apology shows
that you've learned from what you did. Show that you
mean what you say.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Four make it clear that you are apologizing. Just saying
I am sorry is not enough. Talk about what you
did and then say that you feel bad about doing it.
It is important that the person knows you are apologizing
to them.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Five. Be prepared for the unexpected. Sometimes an apology is
followed by the other person apologizing. Relationships can be healed,
friendships can be formed, but sometimes an apology does not
solve all the problems. It may take time for the
person to accept your apology. The person may stay angry
(08:07):
with you. You never know how things will end, but
an apology can usually help.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Whom do you need to apologize to today?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
How have you apologized to those you have heard? What
gives you hope that your apology can change a relationship?
What happens if you apologize and the other person does
not accept your apology. Tell us what you think. You
can leave a comment on our website at www dot
Spotlight English dot com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok,
(08:44):
Blue Sky, and x. You can also get our programs
delivered directly to your Android or Apple deevice through our
free official Spotlight English app.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
The writer of this program was from the Spotlight team.
The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were
from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes
were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You
can listen to this program again and read it on
(09:16):
the internet at www dot Spotlight English dot com. This
program is called The Power of Apology.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
We hope you can join us again for the next
Spotlight program, Goodbye,
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