THE MOST HOPELESS EMAIL GREETING

We no longer write letters, but emails. We keep up with the times after all. Sorry. After all, those are hopelessly old-fashioned words, but I love a touch of tradition here and there. What is amusing, I mean this ironically, is that in terms of form we do keep up with the times, but we often forget to adapt our language. Therefore, I will take a closer look at the phenomenon of emails and specifically the closing greeting.

1. Kind regards

There is of course nothing wrong with this closing, but come on, original is another story. And this is precisely the moment when you can really become completely personal with the other person. When you meet someone on the street, you don't greet them the same way. Your father gets a different greeting than your beloved, and your senior colleague gets another than that colleague you hung out with until late in the pub yesterday. So tailor your email greeting to the person you are emailing. ‘Kind regards’ is never completely wrong, but it is also never really spot on. And the addition of ‘kind’ seems so unnecessary to me. Is there also an unfriendly greeting then?

2. Yours sincerely

Come on, guys, it's 2017. And you're not emailing the queen, right? Even then, I would come up with something more creative than this worn-out and trampled path. You are unique, your email is special, so close it off in style. An important lesson I read recently in the NRC, which I completely agree with; if you don't say it that way, you shouldn't write it that way either.

3. With gratitude

I received an email last week that ended this way and it gave me a spontaneous nervous cough. Gratitude? For what? For the fact that you were allowed to send this email? For the fact that you are alive? That you are working? I think it's sweet, but it's a bit too humble and left-leaning for me. Come on. In the end, you also just want something from the other person, so act normal. By the way, this was the worst cover letter ever.

4. Namasté

Another one. Namasté is for your yoga mat at the end of the class. Here If you find seven reasons to do yoga, then you are among like-minded people who all enjoy ginger tea with honey and lemon and burning incense sticks. Fine. Nothing wrong with that. I also enjoy that from time to time. But under an email, it's hopeless, sorry. Unless you have a company in yoga clothing. Or mats. Or incense. But otherwise. Come on, guys.

5. With a smile

One of our editors received this recently. It gives me a very creepy feeling, how about you?

6. Cheers

Just not mature. Cheers. Confession: I used to close my letters with ‘Horse greetings from May-Britt’. But that was thirty years ago and also to a friend who was also ‘horse crazy’. But ‘cheers’ in a business context really doesn't work.

What then, you ask?

“Anything goes, as long as it's sincere and heartfelt. If you've thought about it.”

‘With regards’ might be a bit boring, but it is pure and clear. ‘Best’; also a good one, or the more international ‘Best’. Why not close with: ‘I wish you a beautiful day’ and then a comma and your name. ‘A hug’ if you really want to digitally cuddle someone. Or: ‘We'll see each other soon’, ‘Let's celebrate soon’, ‘Looking forward to seeing you’, something like that. Just write a sincere, warm sentence, type a comma and then your name.

And how do I close? That depends on the person I am in contact with. It can be ‘Bye’ or ‘The best’ or ‘I wish you a beautiful day’. As long as it is sincere and fits the moment, the stage, the purpose of your email, and the person you are in contact with.

Toitoi (also quite a nice one by the way), May

P.S.: Want to read more? Then these are tips for writing the perfect CV.