Writing Thank You Note is an art of perfection, where one needs to find the perfect words. Personally I would love to send in handwritten notes, as it might act as my trademark. To master the art of writing Thank You Note, you need to know a lot many things related to it like when to send it, how to frame a perfect thank you note and many more.
Why we need to write a nice Thank you note?
A thank you note is an important tool which helps in telling others that are appreciative for their gestures or the things done by them for you. So it can be called as a way of giving-back for whatever you have been given. Just ponder over the last time someone sent you or thanked you. Didn’t it make you feel happy to read or made you happy to hear to such compassionate words? A write thank you note is really a nice way of letting others analyze that you are really being pleased about their gesture. Basically thank you notes are of two types:
- Thank you for some kind of gift sent to you
- Thank you for any event that happened
Simply stating “Writing thank-you notes shows good manners.”
Main Parts of Thank You Note
All kinds of thank you notes be it for a gift or for an event or for some gesture consist of five parts that are:
- Date ( the day, month along with the year when the thank you note was written)
- Greeting Words ( The words that refer the person and start the note )
- Body ( This is the main section of the note )
- Closing ( the words that help in finishing the note )
- Signature ( consisting of the writer’s name, mostly written by hand)
Figure 1: Sample Thank You Note showing all the five parts
When to Post Thank You Note
A handwritten thank you note is a perfect form of gratitude as it depicts your attitude towards the person, whom you are sending it. Rather it can be said as an overt act of appreciation. There are certain rules that you need to follow while sending or writing thank you notes. The timing for sending the note is very vital so follow certain points like:
- Start penning down the thank you note as soon as possible, as the shortest gap is recommended between receiving the gift and sending the note.
- Send the note anytime you open the gift, when the giver is not there.
- Keep in mind that it is really bad to never send the note instead of sending it six months after getting the gift.
- Being timely is always better because the time for sending a thank you note never ever slips away. Never sending a thank you note is considered to be something really bad.
- Anytime if a question rises in your mind whether you should send a thank you note or not, you should definitely send one.
- There is said to be not a single wrong moment for sending thank you note.
Writing or designing a perfect thank you note can be lot of fun for example a simple thank you note can also be written on a small yet colourful card or a notepaper. The envelope used for sending can be of matching or contrasting colour
How to Go About Writing a Thank You Note
“A thank-you note is an act of grace. It completes a circle. If I take the trouble to tell you on paper, what a difference you have made to me, then it makes your gift, or kindness, an act of mutuality. It is something between us, something we share. It connects us, and makes us both feel not only better, but possible saner.”
Jane Howard
How to write a nice thank you note makes us understand the nitty-gritty of putting the pen to a paper. There are certain rules you need to follow depending upon the kind of gift for which you are going to write the thank you note. For example for creating a wedding gift thank you note, one must be aware of the protocols. But for thank you notes for events there is lot of flexibility.
The thank you note should be hand-written expect for when it is in the form of an email. The entire length or number of words of the note may vary. For example the thank you notes for wedding are usually very short, but while writing a note to a friend thanking him/ her for a recent visit there is no need to limit the note with words.
Sometimes less seems to be perfect rather more like in case of this thank you note written by well known actress of Hollywood Marilyn Monroe to Mr. Volkmar von Fuehlsdorff, thanking him for a glass of champagne.
Mr. Volkmar von Fuehlsdorff
German Consulate General
3450 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles 5, California
Dear Mr. Von Fuehlsdorff,
Thank you for your champagne. It arrived, I drank it, and I was gayer.
Thanks Again,
My Best,
Marilyn Monroe
What to Use in a Thank You Note
The first and foremost requirement for a special thank you note is personalised stationary to make it impressive. Remember that you will need two sets of stationary one for personal notes and one for business thank you notes. Both are totally different from each other and solves entirely different purpose.
Stationary for personal use should be such, that it reflects upon your unique personality and the initials should be classic and should always be appropriate. The back flap of envelope should carry the return address and just the address and not the name. On the other hand the business notes stationary never ever make the mistake of sending your business card along with the thank you note. The look of the business thank you note should be a bit formal and should not carry birds and bees etc. Do not use your married initials on business notes if your wedding date has not arrived or the actual wedding is yet to happen. The business thank you note will typically carry a professional and very formal look. The return address would again be on the back flap of the envelope and in addition to the address it will also carry the name of the company as well.
Use Proper Salutation
On the basis of formality of the event as well as the kind of relationship with the recipient, the greeting or salutation should be used. For informal occasions for example in case of family or close friends, using nickname or the first name are right or allowed. But in case of formal situations as well as sending note to an acquaintance certain conventions should be followed like women need to be addressed using Mrs., Madam, Ms., Miss or using their professional title and in case of uncertainty use Ms. Men need to be greeted using Mr. Until you are aware of their professional title. In case you are not sure how they would like to be addressed, just check out the way they have signed any cards sent by them. Traditionally all the married couples should be referred using husband’s first as well as last name.
The six fundamentals that one must keep in kind while writing a thank you note are:
- Start the note by addressing the person / persons by using a greeting or a salutation.
- Always say thank you.
- First ascertain or make out the gift.
- Then do not forget to communicate how you feel about receiving the particular gift or for what purpose it will be used.
- Do not forget to add a personal message or a note.
- End the thank you note with your signature line.
Few points to consider while penning a thank you note:
- Find out why you need to send a thank you note or what is the main motive of sending it?
- What kind of relationship you share with the person to whom you are sending the note?
- What tone should be used for conveying message? Personal? Formal? Informal? Casual? You should always sound positive, sincere as well as specific.
- Find out to whom the note is referred family, a couple or single person?
- Is the writing concise as well as clear? Did you check of spellings and grammatical errors?
Making Thank You Notes Unforgettable
Handwritten notes are always preferred and they can be sent for any event or for any gift – like after you get a gift, or after a successful meeting with the customer or the client, or when you get an invitation for certain event. Here are few tips that you can use to make your thank you notes impressive and unforgettable.
- Use Branded Stationary: Instead of opting for generic thank you note card or a pack of thank you letters from some store, why not go for some custom-made stationary. There are so many websites and stationary shops that take orders and design impressive tailor-made thank you cards or notes. These especial cards or notes will be a clear reflection of your unique personality or brand.
- Stay Simple: Rather than writing pretty long and page filling letters, it is advisable to come up with short, sweet and simple message which sums up everything in few lines. In case of any action or event just mention the helping action done by the person for you, what impact that act had on you or on your business and finally simple reiterate the kind act of appreciation. Do not be elaborate. Make sure that you mail the thank you note or letter right away. It is suggested that you should send the note after two or three days after receiving gift or attending the event. As being prompt will reflect the sincerity residing in your personality.
- Always Send a Hand-written Note: writing a thank you note with hand adds a personal touch to it. It simply conveys that you took out some precious time to write down few lines. The point of time investment will create a good impression on the receiver and will certainly make him / her feel special as well as important. Buy a nice black or blue fountain pen to write down a thank you note. Using elegant and stylish writing instruments adds fun and impact to the thank you note, making it all the more special. This will create a lasting impression as the person receiving the thank you note might forget the act of kindness done for you, but will still remember the thank you note hand written and sent by you.
“Thank you letters often sound like exercises in etiquette, but in the hands of a gifted writer, a thank you note can sound like a good short story.”
Lois Wyse
Hope all these tips will help you out in writing a perfect thank you note and will assist you in best possible way in composing any type of thank you note be it a personal one or a professional one. By using these simple and easy to follow tips you can choose the right set of words to create a great thank you note which will have a long lasting impression. Certainly all your friends, family or the business associates will praise your thank you note writing skills, while treasuring the mindfulness shown by you.
