Okay, if you’ve had your coffee here’s a riddle…
- What is one of the simplest things you can do for another person but it’s impact is larger than you’d expect?
- Takes two minutes to write but two days to fret over what to say?
- Can be sent fastest electronically but best by postal mail
Figure it out? Well it’s the simple “thank you”.
The “thank you note” seems to be fading into the distance as a standard tool of communication in business and inter-personal relationships but it’s one of the most important tools to strengthen a relationship with someone in any sphere (staff at Beck’s Cafe take note!!)
According to Kim Izzo, etiquette columnist, during an interview with Oprah on Thank You notes (see that interview at Oprah’s site here), “It’s making the effort. People really appreciate getting mail that’s not a bill, for one thing, and just taking that extra bit of time to write a thank you note really means everything.”
So how do jumpstart this so you to can say “thank you”?
- Do it right away: That’s right, as soon as you’ve got a minute (and think consciously about making that minute by the way) do it. What’s the max time you can wait and send a Thank You? According to Ceri Marsh, etiquette columnist, “give yourself a week because if you wait longer then you put it off another week and then you feel dumb about acknowledging it. People like a thank you note more than they even like a gift”. (source: Oprah: Thank You Note Etiquette)
- Write it by hand That’s right, even if you scrawl like a physician do it the old fashion way; pen to paper IF you know their snail mail address. If you don’t, then an email or e-card are reasonable fall-backs. According to Jill Bremer of Bremer Communications, a professional image development and presentation skills coaching firm, “The impact of a handwritten thank-you note is often overlooked in today’s fast-paced “why-write-something-when-I-can-email-it” world. A note written promptly and sincerely is an important ritual of etiquette that is much more effective and appreciated than a phone call or electronic message. Yes, we have a lot of technology at our fingertips, but just because we can do that way doesn’t mean we should”. (source: Thank-You Note Etiquette, Jill Bremer, AICI, CIP, Bremer Communications )
- Do it for gifts, acts of kindness or friendship, or just because. Often times we don’t do it as we aren’t sure how. And usually the ideas on how to do it are tailored only for thank you notes for gifts. But substitute “gift” for act of kindness or friendship and any concepts on how to write a thank you note applies. Susan Dunn, MA, A Professional Life Coach has this advice (remember substitute the word “gift” for some other act of kindness and her advice applies universally too), “When you write the note, mention the gift or gifts specifically. Mention some way that you will use it, or what it meant to you, how much you love the color red, or how you’ve been wanting to read that book”. (source and examples: “How to write a Thank You note and Why“, Susan Dunn, MA, Professional Life Coach, Emotional intelligence & Etiquette
So get your pen in hand and paper on the desk today, you’ll improve your relationships with this simple act.
Thank You for reading 
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