What do you think of the handwritten thank you in personal and professional environments? Is it dated? Effective? Useful? As with all communications, the results of a given communication mode determine whether it was a good idea in the first place.
I for one have always been fond of the handwritten thank you notes. I enjoy sending and receiving them.
Recently my son applied to a number of high schools. He was overwhelmed sending thank you notes to everyone he met throughout the application process.
So he and I got to discussing whether the handwritten note did or didn’t make a difference and why, in both a personal and business environment.
Here’s what we came up with in the plus column for the handwritten note:
- A handwritten note shows you care. You took the time to get the letterhead or card, envelope, locate the address, get the stamp, think through the content and mail it.
- If there was ever a personalized way to get a message or feeling across the personal touch of a handwritten note accomplishes that task.
- It provides intrigue and curiosity for the recipient so they are more inclined to open it.
- It forces you to think. Be clear, concise, succinct. There is only so much room to convey your message.
- It sends a warm familiar intimate sense to the recipient that will warm them whether they are a prospect or a relative.
The bottom line is the handwritten thank you note is still in style. It’s a welcome form of communication in a cold automated world. Try it sometime.