Was Jian Ghomeshi Truly Apologetic in his Apology
Statement?
I did a radio interview On Corus Radio
Toronto analyzing the content of Jian Ghomeshi statement.
My insights below:
Look below at the apology statement of Jian Ghomeshi in its written version. It’s a very extensive
apology that goes into a great deal of detail about what he did wrong and its
effect and into how much he has learned. I can say that I have been analyzing
apology statements for many years and I have never seen this level of detail
and introspection. I would have liked him to repeat the apology and say, “I am
so sorry.” But other than that the content analysis, which is part of a
deception/credibility analysis of the content of his apology shows he has
thought about this a great deal and that he has come to a new perspective on
his past behavior which is a deeper apology that just saying, “ I apologize.”
Count the number of times he says, “I” in the four paragraphs and see how much
of the apology is about his status, his feelings and his reflection and you can
see that he is highly self-focused. Not the best thing for an apology
statement, but pretty standard among politicians and star athletes.
Moments ago at Old City Hall, as part of a peace bond
hearing that resulted in his last sexual assault charge being withdrawn, Jian
Ghomeshi read his first public statement since October 2014. The text below was
copied from a written version of the statement, not transcribed from an audio
recording of Ghomeshi’s speech.
I want to apologize to [the complainant, Kathryn] Borel for
my behaviour toward her in the workplace. In the last 18 months, I have spent a
great deal of time reflecting on this incident and the difficulties I caused
Ms. Borel, and I have had to come to terms with my own deep regret and
embarrassment.
I enjoyed a position of privilege in my job at the CBC as
the host of a program I loved. I was a person in a position of authority and
leadership, and I did not show the respect that I should have to Ms. Borel. I did
not always lead by example and I failed to understand and truly appreciate the
impact of my conduct on Ms. Borel’s work environment. That conduct in the
workplace was sexually inappropriate. I realize that there is no way for me to
know the full impact on her personally and professionally.
I now recognize that I crossed boundaries inappropriately. A
workplace should not have any sexualized tone. I failed to understand how my
words and actions would put a co-worker who was younger than me, and in a
junior position to mine, in an uncomfortable place. I did not appreciate the
damage that I caused, and I recognize that no workplace friendship or creative
environment excuses this sort of behaviour, especially when there is a power
imbalance as there was with Ms. Borel. This incident was thoughtless and I was
insensitive to her perspective and how demeaning my conduct was towards her. I
understand this now. This is a challenging business to be in and I did not need
to make it more difficult for Ms. Borel. The past 18 months have been an
education for me. I have reflected deeply and have been working hard to address
the attitudes that led me, at the time, to think that this was acceptable.
I apologize to my family for letting them down and in
particular for the impact that all of this has had on my dear mother and
sister. I apologize for the burden my actions have placed on those dear friends
who have stood by me throughout this difficult time. I regret my behaviour at
work with all of my heart and I hope that I can find forgiveness from those for
whom my action took such a toll.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at
www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at
www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at
http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
