When I first started tracking the information preferences of people visiting my Writing Help Central Web site I was surprised to find how many folks were seeking information on how to write thank you letters. In fact, "thank you letter" information and sample templates are the third ranked destinations at that Web site.
However, I caution you to be careful if you conduct a "thank you letter" keyword search using an engine such as google or yahoo. Those top 10 or 20 search results will definitely give you the wrong idea about thank you letters in the broad sense. Looking at those results alone you'll find that the vast majority of so-called experts seem to think that there is essentially only one kind of thank you letter - one written after a job interview.
In reality, this is a very narrow view that fails to recognize the literally dozens of situations for which thank you letters are often warranted. I believe that this proliferation of references to employment-related thank you letters is simply a reflection of the massive number of Web-based businesses involved in the online career and job hunting services industry.
WHEN TO SAY THANK YOU IN WRITING
The purpose of a thank you letter is self-explanatory. Write one when you want to formally thank a person, company or institution for something they have done for you or your organization, which you consider to be out of the ordinary.
Simply receiving a contracted service as requested does not normally warrant a formal thank you. However, service provided to you above and beyond your normal expectations can often call for a special thank you letter. Normally, it should be a clear case of "above and beyond the call of duty", as the saying goes.
And yes, thank you letters can also be important follow-up mechanisms in certain employment-related situations.
Generally speaking, there are two main types of thank you letters -- business thank you letters and personal thank you letters.
Business Thank You Letters
There are many situations in business that can warrant a thank you letter. Here are a few generic examples of thank you letter situations for businesses and institutions:
- Appreciation for any type of special consideration
extended by another organization.
- Thanking a speaker for a presentation at an annual board
meeting.
- Customer appreciation letters - thanking them for their
patronage.
- Thank you letters to employees for exceptional service
or performance.
- Thanks to an individual or organization for a customer
referral.
- Commendations to volunteer service workers for their
personal contributions.
These are just a few examples. I'm sure you can think of many more situations that might demand a thank you letter from a business or institution.
Personal Thank You Letters
As with business situations, there are many instances in day-to-day life that can warrant a formal thank you letter. Following are a few typical situations that often require a personal thank you letter:
- As a follow-up after a job interview and/or job offer.
- To a company or institution in appreciation for
exceptional customer service.
- Letter of appreciation to a teacher for a positive
influence on your child.
- To friends and/or neighbors for their exceptional support
during a difficult period.
- Thanks to a service club or agency for their support to
your family.
- Social occasion thank you's.
Again these are just examples. New situations similar to these arise on a regular basis in our daily lives that call for a formal thank you letter.
7 TIPS FOR WRITING THANK YOU LETTERS
Following are a few tips that will help you whenever you encounter thank you letter situations in your business or personal life.
1. Make Sure It's Appropriate
One of the main issues with respect to thank you letters is to know when to send one. As a general rule, I would say "better to be safe than sorry". However, make sure there is something noteworthy about the situation. A thank you letter for a routine situation doesn't make sense and dilutes their meaning.
2. Write It Promptly
It is always best to send a thank you letter as soon as possible after the event for which you are doing the thanking. It will help with the level of sincerity in your letter if the event is still fresh in your mind. In any case, a delayed thank you letter will seem like an obligatory afterthought to the recipient.
3. Remind The Recipient
In your introductory sentence, make it very clear that it is indeed a thank you letter and that it pertains to a specific event, situation and/or person. This will eliminate any confusion on the part of the recipient as to the purpose of the letter.
4. Make It Short and Direct
Get straight to the point and never exceed one page. Thank you letters should be short, direct, sincere, and to the point. In business situations they will always type-written but personal thank you letters can be hand-written or typed, as appropriate to the situation.
5. Make It Personal
By definition, a thank you letter is a sincere personal gesture from one individual to another. It should be expressed as a heartfelt personal sentiment, even when written in a business situation. At the same time, strive to be balanced in approach and don't be overly effusive.
6. Always Write it To One Person
Always write your thank you letter to an individual, not an organization or group. Even if it's a situation where a group was involved, write your letter to the senior person in the group and/or the group spokesperson. Ask that person to please pass on your sincere appreciation to the other people in the group, and name them in your letter if possible. (Contrary to some advice given by certain so-called experts, in my experience, writing a group letter is never appropriate and achieves little or nothing).
7. Check Spelling and Grammar
As when writing all letters make sure you carefully check your spelling and grammar. This is even more important for thank you letters, since they are almost always a sincere statement of appreciation from one person to another. Be sure to double check the spelling of all names used in the letter. There's no quicker way to blow your credibility and sincerity than to misspell someone's name.
Sending thank you letters when appropriate is important in both business and personal life. Individuals and companies that do not send thank you letters are seen as ungracious and perhaps not worthy of future good deeds or special treatment.
So, whenever it's warranted, make sure you send an appropriate thank you letter. Invariably, thank you letters are very well received and appreciated by recipients, and the sender's reputation is generally enhanced in their eyes.
To see a sample thank you letter, check out the following:
http://writinghelp-central.com/thank-you-letter.html
© 2005 by Shaun Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett, is webmaster of the popular writing help site WritingHelp-Central.com. He is also the author of several best selling "writing toolkit" eBooks. All of his eBooks and his internationally acclaimed f-r-e-e course, "Tips and Tricks For Writing Success" are available at his writing tools site: http://www.writinghelptools.com
Whether you are writing a magazine article, composing a press... Read More
I've seen it time and again. One of the most... Read More
Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock... Read More
As in all endeavors, toil is necessary to succeed and... Read More
Many of us have always wanted to write. We have... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
Concision. (Sounds like I made up another word.) It's the... Read More
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25... Read More
Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation,... Read More
Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More
To keep it simple and basic: Jack Finney's Invasion of... Read More
The purpose of this article is to consider Print-On-Demand publishing... Read More
Summer's here and the time is write for dancing in... Read More
Every part of your book can be a sales tool.... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
1. Remember publication is a business; writing is an art.... Read More
Do you want to publish something? An article, a non-fiction... Read More
Everone knows that comedy is mostly about timing. If you... Read More
What possibly could I have to write about? I never... Read More
I just finished to read a book. A story for... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?For a theme to work and the... Read More
Be careful when you write.Words you use, sentences you phrase... Read More
Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More
Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea,... Read More
There are many ways you can generate ideas you can... Read More
Reading through a writer's notebook or journal is like discovering... Read More
If you dread the thought of writing, if you fear... Read More
Writing is hard work, and like all hard work, one... Read More
Next time you're tempted to use italics for emphasis... STOP!"Why?"... Read More
How long should your chapters be?I can't resist... I have... Read More
When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English,... Read More
The Big IdeaOkay. So youve figured out that you would... Read More
Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More
Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More
Every hero has a seminal insight - the apotheosis. Once... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
It was reported that the great American author Sinclair Lewis... Read More
If your dream is to get published, the chance is... Read More
Not all writers write good grammar. That's a fact. It's... Read More
No matter what you are writing, the first priority is... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?By now you should have an idea... Read More
Freelance editing opportunities are out there, you just need to... Read More
For any great novelist, defining your cast of intriguing characters... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
Taming the Book Proposal: The BasicsOh, that most maddening of... Read More
Once you've plotted out your book, developed the characters and... Read More
Writer's Block can strike like a King Cobra, paralyzing every... Read More
Language Training - A key to Global CommunicationLanguage Training is... Read More
My article this issue is an excerpt from a book... Read More
WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT TO GET INTO UK UNIVERSITYHOW DO... Read More
Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a... Read More
Based on the feedback that I have been getting from... Read More
When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English,... Read More
At some point along the way, most of us have... Read More
There is no specific formula for children's fiction. There are,... Read More
I recently set up a website to promote a new... Read More
Q and A.Best choice when subject is very verbal or... Read More
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Without denigrating the work and contribution of Syd Field to... Read More
(This excerpt is taken from my new writing workshop Writing... Read More
Wired Online has recently announced its plans to drop capitalization... Read More
The following answer sounds simplistic?but think about it. The single... Read More
I hate to admit this, but I rarely get an... Read More
You must write a hypnotic persuasion letter to help you... Read More
During my 25-year career in a variety of professional positions... Read More
Writing |