“Dear Reader:”
Doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy, does it?
“Dear Friend,”
A little better. And note that a comma is less formal than a colon.
“Dear George,”
Much better. Speaking to an individual. Nothing sweeter than the sound of one’s own name. But “Dear” is a bit old fashioned in an email.
“George,”
Arguably the best way to open an email. Much better than “Hey!” although it’s okay to use something like that for informal messages with people you know really well. Of course if you know the recipient really well, you could skip the salutation altogether and just get right to the message. Perfectly acceptable in email today.
What if you’re mailing to a big list of people? A lot of cc’s or bcc’s or your email newsletter?
Of course you must consider to whom you are writing and the context of the message. You don’t want to be unprofessional, but email is generally considered a less formal medium so a less formal greeting is almost always appropriate. If you don’t know which salutation to use, consider omitting it. You’ll probably be just fine.
What about signing off? “Very truly yours,” or “Regards”? “Sincerely,” or “All the best,”?
I usually sign my emails with “All the best,” followed by just my first name. Friendly, personal, informal. Or I just put my name with no close. With people I email to a lot, I often put my initials (just to be different) or no close at all.
Your emails should be a natural extension of who you are, but also reflect the context of your relationship with the recipient. Use whatever feels right to you, but lean towards informal. Formal messages put distance between you and the reader, and you generally want to bring them closer.
Snail mail is more formal than email, of course, but a personal salutation and warm closing will go a long way towards reaching out and connecting with your reader. “Dear Mr. Jones,” or “Dear Joe,” is much better than, “Dear Client:”.
If you’re sending something to opposing counsel and you want to be businesslike and maintain posture (and a little distance), you’ll probably continue using whatever you use now. With clients and prospects and colleagues, anyone with whom you have or want to have a closer relationship, a less formal and warmer approach is warranted.
Finding the right salutations and closings begins with greater awareness. Over the next few days, take a few minutes to review the emails and letters you send and receive. What do others do? How do they make you feel? What do you do and what affect do you think they have on your readers?
Chances are you won’t make many changes with letters and emails sent to counsel or insurance carriers, nor do you really need to. But there’s probably a lot you can do with letters to clients and friends.
What salutations and closings do you use in your emails and letters? Have you considered any alternatives?
My political views finally revealed (not)
When I first got stated on Facebook, one of my “friends” posted an incendiary political comment on my wall. In response, friends with opposing viewpoints took him on. Back and forth they went, telling each other in heated tones who was right. Others joined in. Soon, a full blown flame war was taking place.
It was great theater.
I let the two sides go at each other for while and I stayed out of it. No way was I going to get involved in that mess.
And then it really got ugly.
The original poster starting insulting people. Despite repeated requests by the majority to curtail the invective and stick to the issues, he continued his name calling. The more he was asked to tone things down, the worse he got. I had no choice but to remove him as a friend.
Even though this was an extreme situation, it reinforced the notion that discussing politics in public is not a good idea. Unless you are certain that everyone in “the room” is of a like mind, you’re just asking for trouble.
If you’re a professional or in business, your political views should not be posted on social media. Why risk alienating half of your friends and followers? Even when the discourse is civil, political postings provide an insight into your thoughts that can drive a wedge between people who might otherwise get along just fine.
I have political views. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel like posting my opinion about one thing or another, or re-posting what someone else has said.
I’d be nuts to do it.
So I bite my tongue. And save it for a private conversation.
It’s called being in business.
I have many friends on the other side of political aisle. We like each other. We do business together. We can talk about almost anything. Â But not politics. We don’t go there.
In business, you can’t go there.