A few weeks ago, in the days of Joe Wilson II vs. the president and Kanye vs. Taylor Swift, I spoke to a college communications class. Having seen so many recent public apologies, one of the students asked me how I’d go about writing a convincing apology for someone.

Frankly, I have no idea. I’ve never been in that situation, which is fortunate, because if you’re working for someone who finds himself apologizing a lot, you may not have a job much longer.

But I did offer my general opinion that apologies should be sincere and not overwrought. Not everyone will believe you – at least not right away – but you’ll help your cause by getting straight to the point and explaining that you know what you did was wrong and that you plan to demonstrate your contrition in both words and actions.

Then came David Letterman’s blackmail/sex-with-staffers incident. And from now on, if people ask me how to write an apology, I’m going to point them to those videos.

In the first, last Thursday, Letterman didn’t actually apologize for anything. He simply acknowledged the situation – he was extorted as a result of behavior that could be deemed embarrassing. With just the right amount of levity, genuine fear, and upront-ness, Letterman managed to get the audience to applaud the fact that he had sex with members of his staff. If you can get people to cheer your dicey behavior, you’ve exceeded all expectations.

Letterman was helped by his natural appeal, his decades of experience working audiences, and the fact that the bad behavior he admitted wasn’t the worst behavior in the story. Sort of like saying, “Mom, I stole twenty bucks out of your purse, but then Molly stole it from me and used it to buy crack.” Crack trumps petty theft. Blackmail/extortion trumps cheating on your longtime girlfriend.

But in the days that followed, people began to wonder whether Dave got off a little too lightly. Was he really a sympathetic figure? Or was he just pathetic – a dirty old man who may harass his employees into sex while his partner’s at home with their baby? Yes, the first mea culpa was good, but it left something out – like the details.

So Letterman re-addressed the issue Monday night and acknowledged that he was a little too wrapped up in his own blackmail saga to fully comprehend the awkwardness he imposed on the people around him. He apologized to his staff, especially the women on his staff, who’ve been the target of “was she sleeping with him” curiosity. And, most importantly, he apologized to his now-wife and explained that he has his work cut out for him in trying to make this up to her. He also intimated that all the incidents occurred before they were married and before they had a child, though more details on timing may emerge.

We saw a public figure addressing an issue head-on, albeit in two parts, without showing any sense that he wanted to duck responsibility for his actions.

What I found most refreshing about Letterman’s second apology is that he had the air of a person who wanted to correct the problems he created, but in his own quiet way. He even left open the possibility that he’d fail, a situation familiar to anyone who’s hurt someone else and tried to make up for it. He didn’t announce a showy trip to rehab or a camera-friendly meeting with faith advisers who would consider him healed and forgiven. He just presented himself as a man who did something dumb and hopes he can make things right. Very authentic.

Which gets back to the original question – how would I go about writing an apology for someone? Maybe the best answer is that if you have to give an apology, don’t have anyone write it for you. Sit down, take some time to think about how you screwed up and what you can do to make up for your bad judgment, and then tell the truth as directly and authentically as possible. People may not applaud, but they’ll probably understand.