On signatures and signoffs
 | | Pablo Rochat |
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An endless debate rages on across technological society: What are you supposed to say at the end of your email? Is a cheery “Cheers” too affectedly British (unless you’re a Brit)? Is “Best” hopelessly bland? Can you simply end things, gracefully dropping off after your name until the next interaction, or do you have to list your jobs and accomplishments and vital stats after you say “Bye”? What do you really need to know when emailing another person? And, dear God, are people still actually calling one another in today’s world? (And do you have to do that, too?) |
Here’s the good news: Closing your emails is much simpler than you thought. Here’s what to do. |
Email unto others as you’d have them email you |
Pretty much any question having to do with emails can be answered by referring to what Will Schwalbe and David Shipley, authors of “Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do it Better,” call the “platinum rule”: “Do unto others as you’d think they’d want you to do unto them.” |
Think about what would be most helpful to the person you’re writing. Include the basics — title, how to find you, how you wish to be identified — to save them from having to search for that information. Sign the email with what you’re actually called. |
“My name is William Schwalbe, but I sign with Will to help them out; that’s what people call me,” Mr. Schwalbe said. Include relevant pronouns, too: “You’re doing them the favor of letting them know what it is, and it makes life easier.” And if you want someone to call you, include your number. |
It’s ‘best’ to keep the recipient in mind |
Let’s tackle the signoff: those few, important words that signal “we’re done here,” but also, “may we never truly be through” — depending, of course, on whom you’re writing and why. |
Mr. Schwalbe’s go-to is “As ever.” But not right away. |
“I start with ‘Best’ if I don’t know you, and then if we’ve met, it’s ‘As ever.’ I find it inherently reassuring,” he said. “Whatever you were before that, you still are, no worries.” |
Mr. Shipley agreed: “To me, it sends a warm and calming message: Everything is O.K., our relationship remains intact, expect no sudden changes and I hope we can keep writing each other for a very long time.” |
There’s a behavioral principle called mirroring, the subconscious replication of another person’s nonverbal cues, which is a way humans connect and grow closer. This works in email — as long as it’s sincere. Failing to mirror, like maintaining a very formal greeting regardless of what the other person says, or escalating into too-familiar territory too soon, can keep you from building a relationship. |
“If someone writes ‘Regards’ or ‘Sincerely yours,’ and you write ‘Best,’ and they stick with ‘Sincerely yours,’ and you write ‘xoxo,’ and they’re still at ‘Sincerely yours,’ you’re like, ‘They don’t like me, this is cold,’” Mr. Schwalbe said. |
It’s important, then, to craft your signoff appropriately to whomever you’re emailing. |
Don’t use a stock signature |
We have different relationships with different people, so why should the end of your email be the same for everyone? “Your signature block for work runs the risk of seeming a little clunky if you’re writing your kids or an old friend,” Mr. Shipley said. |
“Depending on who I’m talking to, I might be wearing a different hat,” added Wendy Sachs, an author, speaker, producer and media strategist. “If I’m the author/speaker, if I want to remind them of that, if I’m pitching ‘Surge’” — a political documentary she worked on — “I’ll include that link. Know your audience, so they’re not confused: Who is this person and why are they reaching out to me?” |
Mr. Schwalbe added: “When you do this badly, you are creating a big time suck for someone else. Do you have time to be thoughtful about someone else’s time?” He keeps two auto-signatures for different uses: His personal email contains his cell number and a link to his website; his professional has his job title and mailing address. He’ll delete information from his signature when it doesn’t apply. |
“I don’t need to send my cousin to my book website every time I write her,” he said. |
Avoid inspirational quotes (and these other no-nos) |
“Skip the extraneous stuff,” Mr. Shipley said. “Quotations are generally all downside and no upside — unless you’re Mark Twain or George Orwell or Lydia Davis.” |
“Trying to fill a signature with bursts of personality can be tiring. That you’re a Bengals fan, or ‘Rock on, Hanson!’ is maybe too much information,” Mr. Schwalbe said. Inside jokes can be alienating; there’s also the risk of burying important information in an avalanche of the unimportant. |
These extras also tend to be more about you than the person you’re writing to, and that’s some of the problem. Stick with a couple of links and some kind of contact information. Keep it simple. Don’t use wacky fonts. And there’s never, ever any need to repeat your email address. You’re sending an email, after all. It’s already right there. |
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This week I’ve invited S.L. contributor Jenny Taitz to tell us why we should stop emailing co-workers after hours. |
Sending off an email to a co-worker at night may seem relatively harmless, like leaving a Post-it note on someone’s desk. But actually, it’s more like tapping someone on the shoulder, since most people admit they read and respond to work messages in their free time. |
Reduce both your own burnout and another person’s by asking yourself if you are willing to let your message wait in your draft box, or if you can use a tool to schedule your email to send the next morning. Reaching out to someone in another time zone? What a perfect way to show your thoughtfulness by scheduling it to send in the middle of the receiver’s work day! |
And if you are responding to a non-urgent email before or after work, notice that, even if you’re getting ahead of your to-do list and proving that you are reliable, you are also reinforcing the sender; you’re essentially telling whoever is reaching out that you are available off hours. You’re not emptying your inbox as much as you are extending it. If you feel anxious, try this experiment: Write out your fears about what may happen if you don’t respond right away, then see what actually happens. |
No one should be open for business 24/7. Let’s support each other in actually unwinding. |
