Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina publicly apologized for shouting "You lie" during President Obama's healthcare speech on Sept. 9. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina had some apologizing to do after shouting out “You lie” to President Obama during his healthcare reform speech to the joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. I listened to the speech on the radio and couldn’t distinguish what Rep. Wilson said, but I figured it wasn’t nice since a chorus of boos quickly followed. According to the New York Times, the congressman left the building immediately after the speech and released a public statement of apology soon after.

While Wilson’s stunning breach of protocol is a worst-case scenario for having to make a professional apology, there are fundamental principles on how to go about it. Holly Weeks, for The Harvard Management Update, stresses that these types of apologies must be handled with special care since they can make or break a professional relationship. According to Weeks, there are three parts to an appropriate apology:

•    Acknowledge the fault: address the offense, don’t dance defensively around it.
•    Communicate regret: if you don’t express remorse for the effects of your offense, no one’s going to buy the sob story. This also conveys your intention to not let it happen again.
•    Take responsibility: own up to what you — not co-workers, managers, or anyone else. — did. Doing so demonstrates integrity.

A BusinessWeek article on the ethics of apology also says to use direct language. Saying “I’m sorry” carries more weight than “I want to apologize.” Having to apologize in a professional setting isn’t a comfortable situation for anyone, but the best way to recover is to take ownership and possibly ask for help if it’s an issue that could come up again. And if you’re on the receiving end of a professional apology, accept it and move forward.

So how does Rep. Wilson’s public apology measure up? Here’s part of the statement, via Huffington Post:

“This evening I let my emotions get the best of me. While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”

Acknowledgment, regret and responsibility — check, check and check. He also phoned the White House that evening to apologize directly to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. The following day, President Obama publicly accepted the apology, saying “[Wilson] apologized quickly and without equivocation, and I’m appreciative of that.”

Now, the only person Rep. Wilson may need to apologize to is himself. In barely two days after the incident, Wilson’s Democratic opponent for Congress had reportedly raked in $750,000 in new contributions.

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