Why Make An Excuse For An Error That You Haven't Made?

It seems that the new sign off on emails is an apology for something that hasn't happened.

Forgive any typos, I'm on my smartphone.

Now I make enough typos on my regular emails, but to tell people that I'm going to make more of these errors just seems to be another excuse for underachievement. I think it's already baked into the world we live in and it's something that we don't have to use as a sign off line with our name and title. 

Now, think about that for a second. It's not just an excuse, it's a TITLE.

John Nosta, Chief Thinker and Error Maker. (And please forgive me for that!)

Remember, this title is becoming a part of your brand. It carries all the hallmarks of good branding—a single-minded message combined with repetition! Basically, you're priming your reader to induce an outcome. And you're blaming technology for your error. I think it's a big mistake. 

Another similar "excuse" that seems to be baked into the lexicon of business banter is the classic comment that's often used in response to a question. It's so common that it just slips under that radar, but also slips into our audiences' subconsciousness.

...and please forgive me if I'm wrong.

How many times have you used this phrase? And how many top keynote speakers have started a brilliant response to a question with these defining words? It positions them in a way that puts error (or the potential for error) right in the front row of discussion!

Typos are fine (can you find any in this post?). And in the world of hyper-communication the likelihood of finding them is increasing. But let's not lead with the acknowledgment of an error. Let's stop the apologies. Maybe we should disclaim our smartphone emails with a warning about the brilliant content and insights that have just been written.