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Dear sir/madam. To whom it may concern. I hope this finds you well.
Emails.
We deal with them every day, for hours a day, and they never seem to end.
Everyone's got their own styles and quirks built into their email habits - personally, I like to start with 'Hey' and sign off with 'Best'.
For some, that's too casual.
What I hate more than anything is when I receive an out-of-the-blue email with no greeting at all that just starts with my name.
Jess, your story on....
Jess, you didn't include...
Jess, why haven't you...
Am I the only one that reads those with a touch of aggression? Do they not sound just a little patronising?
A simple salutation could change the whole tone of the exchange. And that's the thing with emails - they're not spoken verbally, so your tone is not always evident.
Maybe the sender doesn't mean to come across brusque. On the other hand, perhaps it's the 57th email they've sent today and they have no more time for pleasantries.
I found myself incredibly amused a few months back to see a slew of videos around email etiquette floating around on Instagram's Reels section (I feel like, at 28, I'm too old to have TikTok on my phone, but Instagram gets a pass).
The question was raised - do women in the professional space fill their emails with smileys and exclamation points to come across as less intimidating to their male colleagues?
That was food for thought indeed. I most definitely fill my emails with smileys and exclamation points.
Am I doing that to seem softer and more approachable? Or is it just my personality?
Comedy videos depicted women removing those exclamation points from their emails, reducing the pleasant filler words - some even starting their emails with just the recipient's name!
Yeah, feminism! Down with the patriarchy!
But then the other side of the coin. Other videos started popping up supporting the smileys and exclamations.
I remember one asked the question: do we even like receiving emails devoid of that colour? Is that enjoyable? Does it make us feel good when they arrive in our inbox?
No. I like receiving emails that address me casually and don't feel as severe.
So why should we change it up then?
Honestly, I have no idea what the right approach to email etiquette is.
I think a standard font is a good choice, lest you be mistaken for a highschooler.
I wouldn't personally get too ambitious with the colour of the text.
But I think the odd smiley face is welcome and keeps things light. Managing the inbox is struggle enough without feeling depressed every time you open a new email.
Let's drop the corporate-speak too. Instead, write like a normal human.
Anyway, I hope this finds you well.
Kindest regards,
Best wishes,
Thanks! :)
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