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.
However, that is just not the case. In fact, there are many different types of thank you letters.
The purpose of this article is to tell you the whole story on both when and how to write “thank you letters”, as they apply to a wide variety of situations — both personal and business…
In reality, that common belief that “thank you letters” are mostly employment-related, is a very narrow view that fails to recognize the literally dozens of real-life situations for which these 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.
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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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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). -
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 of a typical thank you letter, click on the following link:
writinghelp-central.com/thank-you-letter.html
October 29th, 2005 at 12:13 am
Your thoughtfullness, committment and generosity are highly appreciated
October 29th, 2005 at 12:15 am
Please provide a few sample templates that are freely downloadable
October 29th, 2005 at 4:03 pm
Hello J. Chacko,
Thanks for your feedback. You can find many no-cost letter templates at my writing help Web site:
http://writinghelp-central.com/sample-letters.html
If you go to the home page on that site you will find links to many more pages of free writing help content.
All the best,
Shaun Fawcett
November 3rd, 2005 at 12:40 pm
dear sir,
thank you very much for your tips n tricks, m also doing my M.B.A. in entrepreneur ship after completing my engineering in chemical.i required your help to impove my written skills i go through your free course n few e books till i required some seacial tips on presentations n public speaking as i have lots of fear in public speaking. with highest hope from you that you are able to helpfull to me to solve my this problem so , please help me.
thanking you
hiren shah
March 20th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
thank u very much for ur honest efforts to help us in writting I really appreciate it
March 20th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
Thanks Ayham. I’m glad you find the info helpful.
Best…. Shaun
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:09 am
Dear Sir,
Thank you very much. I have completed My M.B.A.,Your free couse is absolutely good.It helps me in every aspect. But i want to more improve my witten as well as my spoken englis also. I hope you can help me.
Thanks & Regards
Ambika
March 23rd, 2006 at 9:59 am
Hi Ambika,
Thanks. My free content writing help Web site has more than 150 pages of free info:
http://www.writinghelp-central.com
Good luck….. Shaun