If customers include a
closing in their emails, it indicates to me that they are friendly, and so I
will do their work first.
A woman in one of my writing classes made the above comment when we were
discussing how to end an email. Others joined in and added that they liked
seeing closings in emails they received.
I agree.
Emails that simply end without some kind of closing can seem too
abrupt. And in today’s coronavirus world, it is especially important to
seem approachable.
During my recent Zoom classes, numerous questions surface about which closing
is appropriate in our casual workplace. Deciding what to use can be confusing.
When email first appeared in the workplace, salutations or closings were rarely
used. Over time, we have added both to our emails. Though there has been some discussion
in the media about whether we need to use closings, in my experience, the
majority of people want to keep them.
I encourage businesspeople to use closings. Here are my six suggestions:
1. If you start with a salutation, end with a closing. It provides
balance to the email. The correct punctuation after the closing is a comma.
2. Match the closing to the salutation. If you use an informal
salutation, such as “Hi Amanda” or “Hello Gavin,” use “Regards,” “Best,” “Best
regards,” or “Thanks” to close. If you use a more formal salutation, such as
“Dear Ms. Jones,” use “Sincerely” or “Sincerely yours.” Only the first word of
the closing is capitalized.
3. End with a “closing statement.” Since closings are more
relaxed in emails than in letters, you can use a brief statement as your
closing, such as “See you at the meeting,” “Thanks for your help” or “Have a
great weekend.”
4. With no disrespect intended, avoid using ‘Respectfully.’ This
very formal closing is usually reserved for government officials and
clergy. Another closing to avoid is “Faithfully yours.” This wording
comes from British English, and a woman from India who was in my class said
that she was advised very quickly by her boss not to use that closing in the
U.S.
5. Tell people what you want to be called. After the closing, on
the next line, type your name the way you want to be addressed. If you want to
be called “Mike” instead of “Michael,” you should sign “Mike.”
6. Once emails become a back-and-forth conversation, you can drop the
closing. It begins to sound repetitious and somewhat silly if you have
a long string of emails all proclaiming, “Best regards, Mike.” Additional
information on emails can be found in my book
Eat and Tweet Your Way to Success.Pachter & Associates provides seminars and
coaching on business writing, professional presence, etiquette and
communication. For additional information, please contact Joyce Hoff at
joyce@pachter.com (www.pachter.com)
