Thank you note? Business letter? The content of your message. Are you delivering bad news or giving a compliment? Punctuation Sets the Tone It may not seem like a big deal, but the punctuation you use after your salutation goes a long way.
Professional Greetings Consider the differences between these three examples of a person writing to their colleague. Dear Mr. Patel, Dear Mr. Patel: Dear Mr. Personal Messages Now, check out the difference punctuation can make in friendly salutations. Complaint letters are a good example of correspondence to a general organization, rather than a specific recipient.
If you don't know the person well, use Mr. Lastname, or Mr. Firstname Lastname. If your contact has a gender-neutral name such as Taylor Brown and you are unsure whether you are addressing a woman or a man, follow the opening term with the person's full name "Dear Taylor Brown". For a potential employer or supervisor, always use Mr. It generally doesn't hurt to be overly formal, whereas your professionalism may be questioned if you choose a casual greeting.
You can use the appropriate gender title such as "Sir" or "Madam" if you know the gender of the person but not their name. While you should always address your letters as specifically as possible, if you can't obtain the person's gender, you can use their first and last names: Dear Rory Smythe. Use "Dear Sir or Madam" as a last resort.
When addressing several people, the greetings and salutations above are still appropriate. However, you should include the names of all the recipients if there are three or fewer names. At the end of the greeting, you should tack on either a comma or a colon. For example, all of the following are acceptable:. That said, the colon is the more formal option, making it suitable for both written and email correspondence.
In contrast, the comma is a slightly more informal choice, making it more suitable for emails or casual written or printed letters. Keep in mind that certain opening terms that communicate a professional tone in your first correspondence can convey a stiff tone if used in subsequent messages, at which point you will know the person better.
Likewise, change salutations as your relationship with a business contact deepens. For example, once a potential employer becomes a supervisor, you can transition from "Dear" to "Hello. A greeting is an important component of formal correspondence that draws the recipient in and sets a professional tone. Improving your overall business letter writing skills will help you craft a persuasive body of the letter so you can get that interview, send an appropriate thank-you letter, and ultimately win over business contacts.
Would the salutation be Dear Dr. If they are both doctors, would they be addressed as Drs. Thank you, Natasha. Dear Lynn, I went through your article about salutation. I have some specific questions: I work for a project with a group of people; some of them are junior to me while some of them are senior. We daily interact with each other thru email, a very common situation any employed person faces.
How do I open a formal email when writing to my colleague? After reading your article I understand that there are many ways to begin a formal letter, but which one suits best for the situation I mentioned above? What salutation should I use while replying to such a mail from junior and from superior? Any answers to these questions will really be helpful. I do not find it at all rude. Why not ask other people at work how they feel about salutations?
Maybe you and your colleagues can agree on the best ways to begin a message. What about the case of a woman who has taken her maiden name as her middle name; for example, Sharon Smith Jones not hyphenated. Would the salutation be Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Smith Jones? What is the proper way to address a letter to a child? What is the correct salutation when writing a letter to a child? I hope you can help me. I need to send a letter to three people — a married couple and a woman with the same last name.
Addressing the letter is simple, but what is the proper salutation? Alternatively, write two letters. Larysa, girls and boys who are 13 or older are addressed as adults. Young girls may be addressed as Ms. Very young boys may be addressed as Master or with no title. I am writing a letter to several companies to request MSDS material safety data sheets about the products we purchase from them. When writing a personal letter and there is more than one person signing, the closing should read as follows:.
The signature blocks are side by side or one above the other. Each person signs above his or her name, using first name only or full name depending on the formality of the letter and their relationships. I have not been able to find any rule that addresses this situation. How do you address a couple who are both captains? Unusal, I know, but I am faced with this situation. I just got married and hyphenated my last name and my husband did not. How do we address ourselves as a couple?
Mine or his? Kristina, I wrote about what to call married women on July 13, , so read that post for ideas on your name. As for both of you, I believe he remains Mr. First-Name Wingler, but you can probably introduce yourselves any way you want. According to Webster's Dictionary , a salutation is "an expression of greeting, goodwill, or courtesy by word, gesture, or ceremony".
In essence, salutations are the greetings that are used when you begin an email, a legal letter, a business letter, or any other kind of professional letter.
Salutations are often confused as the closing statement made when you are trying to end your letter. That is a closing statement or sign-off.
That is not actually a salutation, but is often confused as one by many professionals. By referring to someone by this format, it is the most formal and most widely accepted. When using informal salutations, be sure that you are only using a salutation that is for close friends, family members, or colleagues that you have a great relationship with. And be sure that you use a salutation that is proper to the body of the message. Remember to think about what your business scenario is.
Are you sending an informal email to someone you know personally? If so, then you might be able to pick one of the informal greetings. Then avoid informal greetings. The more you can understand the context of your message, the easier it will be to choose the proper greeting. Those are:. Salutations or greetings when starting an email, business letter, legal letter, cover letter, or professional letter can set the tone for the message.
It informs the reader that the message will be either formal and professional or serious. Or informal. If you choose the wrong salutation, it might be sending mixed signals to the reader.
For example, if your letter is intended to be serious, you might expect to get an informal response when you use an informal greeting. Which may not have been your intention from the start.
This is the equivalent of using body language in written format. That is the proper way of using the lists above. They are best for correspondence with someone on a professional level.
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