This is an excellent example of why inferring causation from an observed correlation requires great care. Note that the study did not randomly assign valedictions to emails and observe the causal impact on response rate. Rather, they observed a correlation between the sign-off chosen and the response rate.
"Thanks" garners many responses because people use it in emails that make reasonable requests with a good chance of response.
My favorite valediction is still "I am, &c.," which is short for "I am your humble and obedient servant". Not sure whether my colleagues appreciate it as much as I do...
"&c" is the archaic form of "etc", the ampersand being a ligature of "et" - Latin for "and".
As far as I can tell the "&c." version was popularized by the 1944 novel "Anna and the King of Siam".
So it literally means "I am, etc.", which I assume only expands to "I am your humble and obedient servant" in a humorous way. Might be taken the wrong way.
I am from the UK and work with a lot of Americans. I often sign off emails with "Cheers," which gets a lot of positive comment.
As well as being what you might say when clinking glasses, in the UK "cheers" is a jovial way of saying "thanks" as well as something you might say for "goodbye" so works in all these contexts simultaneously.
The Italian word "ciao" [0] comes from the word "slave", meaning exactly that - "I am your humble servant". Became popular in Venice and then spread elsewhere.
In the Royal Navy, written letters to the captain [1] have to be signed off with "I am honoured to be, Sir, your obedient servant". I remember (in 2010) people thought this was stupid and instead used something like "Yours sincerely". But this ran contrary to regulations, and it was announced that letters would be rejected if not signed properly. Time moves very slowly in the RN.
[1] There are codified degrees of formality for written communications. Formal, demi-formal, and others used more operationally. I am talking about first-tier formal letters to senior officers in this case.
I had someone tell me on the phone and email - "I kiss the ground you walk on". I thought it was just weird and it caught me off guard on the phone the first time.
Candidly - your colleagues most likely don't appreciate it as you do, whether they know the meaning or not.
As I'm sure you're aware, in some countries, servitude is the greatest honor. But in many, it isn't; it signals 1) that you are lesser than or 2) you are very malleable person who may make a good fall person or dirty deed underling or 3) they don't believe your words and just think it's kind of creepy
I really appreciate that some countries consider it an honor, and I don't know where or who you work with, but there's a very good chance that your favorite valediction is not only underappreciated, but not appreciated at all.
Hope that's not the case but your closing comment sparked me to be candid about it for consideration.
I always laugh a little when I get emails from someone still in college. They are so formal, even after I reply in a less formal manner. I don’t blame them as I did the same thing.
I hate it when people use thanks for everything. What, you're thanking me for reading the email announcing the re-org? It reads as mindless and weird.
I'm a "best" guy. It's never inappropriate. Whether I'm promoting you, firing you, reporting up on progress or problems, "best" always works.
(I'm not saying it's the best closer in all situations, but if you hate thinking about closers, it's the best generic choice. And the best boss I ever had always used it.)
These things may be somewhat culturally determined (including office/corporate culture). To me, "best" reads as mindless as any other.
In fact, they all read as mindless to me, probably because in most cases they literally are mindless. You choose one and write it automatically in nearly every message.
That's not to say they're useless. Politeness in social interactions is filled with formulaic, almost ritualistics niceties. I just don't think there's all that much difference in meaning between these common formulaic responses.
In defense of using thanks for everything, the "thanks" (at least in my case) is meant more as a "Thanks for taking the time to read this email" and less "Thanks for reading this email" Time is the valuable part there, and someone dedicated the bit of it they have on this earth to read my email.
I can't stand "Best" as a closer. "Best wishes" is OK, as is "Best regards" but "Best" on its own is going to get your email into the "deal with it later" queue.
> Whether I'm promoting you, firing you, reporting up on progress or problems, "best" always works.
“Best” is shorthand for wishing the other person well. Using it while firing someone could be seen (to use your words) as “mindless and weird”, a meaningless and reflexive dismissal which may rub the recipient the wrong way (“if you cared about what’s best for me, you wouldn’t have fired me”).
This is why I don't use it. I have a hard enough time managing my email queue. I've found that a good, blunt, "Leave me alone, Bob" is pretty effective at discouraging replies.
The older I get and more professional, the simpler my emails get.
I've long done away with email signatures. I have no signature at all. (Metadata is plenty to let people know my full name, and they can just Google me, or use Superhuman / Rapportive to get info on me in context.)
These days, most of my emails are signed with "-Kenneth" only. No signoff, no signature. The rest don't have a signature at all and just contain a one line response.
For greetings, a simple "Hi" or "Hey" with the recipient(s)' first name does the trick.
Receiving emails with giant email signatures drives me nuts. I don't care to have your logo, 10 contact infos and a giant email disclaimer wasting a full page length of my screen. The worst are the notes "please consider the environment before printing this email." These make me want to roll my eyes so hard.
In the early days of email I would write to a lot of family members who were far away and were also connected to this new gizmo called "the internet". I of course would always sign off with "Love, NAME" as we're family.
That muscle memory would randomly kick in at inconvenient times when I started using it for professional correspondence. Nobody said anything, but I can imagine the cocked eyebrows of someone receiving an email from me with such an effusive sign off!
I didn't have this problem with emails, but with signing off on phone calls. The only people I spoke to on the phone growing up were family members. Probably confused a few telemarketers.
If someone says 'thanks in advance', I presume it's to soften the lack of reply so I don't think it's rude. Also means I don't need to acknowledge their thanks email & we can move it from a 4 email conversation to a 2 email one.
Between colleagues that are already dealing with a lot of email I'm all in favour. (Assuming I already have a decent relationship with this person)
Nothing worse than seeing "thanks, John" at the end of an email because it's a signature that's auto applied. And it stands out because the font/size/color don't match the body of the email
This whole thread reminds me of another on the use of emojis in work communication. My main takeaway from that, and from this thread to, was the simply rule:
"Presume good intent"
There are so many different cultures of written communication and due to the internet you're far more likely to come across someone who uses a different "written communication culture" than a spoken one. So if someone comes across as rude or inappropriate due to how they word things I try to actively ignore tone, reserve judgement and presume good intentions.
I was skeptical at first, but it could be explained by the implicit wording of the sign-off.
The highest rated sign-off "thanks in advance" implies that you're thanking them for their future action, which is most likely a response to a question in your email.
Whereas the lower rated sign-off's "kind regards" and "best regards" don't imply that you're expecting a response at all.
“Thanks” has become such a disingenuous generic ending on e-mails that I’ve stopped using it altogether. And it hasn’t seemed to reduce my replies or cause people to think I’m “not nice.” I end every single e-mail with “-NW” and if I want to say “thanks” I do it in a real way in the body of the message.
On, what I believe is, a related note (the blog post notes they looked at mailing lists, which are similar), Stackoverflow now considers "Thanks" or anything along those lines to be "noise", yet the person asking the question is trying to elicit feedback, probably quickly and a lot.
That the "community" is against this (which is a contentious claim but certainly a vocal subset are against it) may be an indicator as to why I try not to spend any time on it any more.
Yesterday I was writing an email in Spanish and I put it into DeepL machine learning translation to translate it back to French for me to check if what I wrote made enough sense to be parsed.
I ended the mail with a "Cordialmente" ( ~ Cordially) as it was informal, and it translated this single word to "Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments les plus distingués", which is about the most formal formula possible.
The explanation that comes to mind to me is that "thanks" and especially "thanks in advance" are more likely to come at the end of emails that actually require a response, e.g. "Could you send me that TPS report with the new cover sheet? Thanks, Bill".
[+] [-] suchow|4 years ago|reply
"Thanks" garners many responses because people use it in emails that make reasonable requests with a good chance of response.
My favorite valediction is still "I am, &c.," which is short for "I am your humble and obedient servant". Not sure whether my colleagues appreciate it as much as I do...
[+] [-] LeoPanthera|4 years ago|reply
As far as I can tell the "&c." version was popularized by the 1944 novel "Anna and the King of Siam".
So it literally means "I am, etc.", which I assume only expands to "I am your humble and obedient servant" in a humorous way. Might be taken the wrong way.
[+] [-] seanhunter|4 years ago|reply
As well as being what you might say when clinking glasses, in the UK "cheers" is a jovial way of saying "thanks" as well as something you might say for "goodbye" so works in all these contexts simultaneously.
[+] [-] simonebrunozzi|4 years ago|reply
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciao
[+] [-] 3dbrows|4 years ago|reply
[1] There are codified degrees of formality for written communications. Formal, demi-formal, and others used more operationally. I am talking about first-tier formal letters to senior officers in this case.
[+] [-] exclusiv|4 years ago|reply
Candidly - your colleagues most likely don't appreciate it as you do, whether they know the meaning or not.
As I'm sure you're aware, in some countries, servitude is the greatest honor. But in many, it isn't; it signals 1) that you are lesser than or 2) you are very malleable person who may make a good fall person or dirty deed underling or 3) they don't believe your words and just think it's kind of creepy
I really appreciate that some countries consider it an honor, and I don't know where or who you work with, but there's a very good chance that your favorite valediction is not only underappreciated, but not appreciated at all.
Hope that's not the case but your closing comment sparked me to be candid about it for consideration.
[+] [-] ineedasername|4 years ago|reply
I've never heard that before, is it cultural/regional? (Compared to US)
[+] [-] musicale|4 years ago|reply
perhaps overly appropriate/accurate for messages to one's boss/employer
[+] [-] chromatin|4 years ago|reply
I sometimes use as a formal valediction:
Loren Ipsum Dolor etc. I remain (paragraph break here, no punctuation)
Very truly yours,
[My Name]
[+] [-] mjklin|4 years ago|reply
[0]: https://youtu.be/V6_qvZFRlJQ
[+] [-] tsm|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] civilized|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] publicdaniel|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] WORMS_EAT_WORMS|4 years ago|reply
Dear Bobby,
Thank you for your email and response. I appreciate your prompt reply as always.
Following the meeting with Jane at 2:00 P.M. PST, it is of my professional opinion that we…
…
Let me know when you get a chance for your thoughts and again appreciate your time.
Thanks,
Me
—
Me, today:
Bob - Yes! Let’s rock and roll. Talk soon.
[+] [-] jimbojet|4 years ago|reply
Me replying to my boss literally today: “lmao true”
[+] [-] pottertheotter|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] civilized|4 years ago|reply
I'm a "best" guy. It's never inappropriate. Whether I'm promoting you, firing you, reporting up on progress or problems, "best" always works.
(I'm not saying it's the best closer in all situations, but if you hate thinking about closers, it's the best generic choice. And the best boss I ever had always used it.)
Best,
Some guy on the internet
[+] [-] ineedasername|4 years ago|reply
These things may be somewhat culturally determined (including office/corporate culture). To me, "best" reads as mindless as any other.
In fact, they all read as mindless to me, probably because in most cases they literally are mindless. You choose one and write it automatically in nearly every message.
That's not to say they're useless. Politeness in social interactions is filled with formulaic, almost ritualistics niceties. I just don't think there's all that much difference in meaning between these common formulaic responses.
Take care,
Another Internet Rando
[+] [-] zmalski|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nuclearnice1|4 years ago|reply
Superficially, they seem about the same.
Yours, &c., nuclearnice
[+] [-] throwawayboise|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] npteljes|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bavell|4 years ago|reply
Regards,
Another guy on the internet
[+] [-] latexr|4 years ago|reply
“Best” is shorthand for wishing the other person well. Using it while firing someone could be seen (to use your words) as “mindless and weird”, a meaningless and reflexive dismissal which may rub the recipient the wrong way (“if you cared about what’s best for me, you wouldn’t have fired me”).
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] mjfl|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thidr0|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] karlmdavis|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] _y5hn|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ineedasername|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kenneth|4 years ago|reply
I've long done away with email signatures. I have no signature at all. (Metadata is plenty to let people know my full name, and they can just Google me, or use Superhuman / Rapportive to get info on me in context.)
These days, most of my emails are signed with "-Kenneth" only. No signoff, no signature. The rest don't have a signature at all and just contain a one line response.
For greetings, a simple "Hi" or "Hey" with the recipient(s)' first name does the trick.
Receiving emails with giant email signatures drives me nuts. I don't care to have your logo, 10 contact infos and a giant email disclaimer wasting a full page length of my screen. The worst are the notes "please consider the environment before printing this email." These make me want to roll my eyes so hard.
[+] [-] denton-scratch|4 years ago|reply
https://dilbert.com/strip/1995-05-20
[+] [-] forgingahead|4 years ago|reply
That muscle memory would randomly kick in at inconvenient times when I started using it for professional correspondence. Nobody said anything, but I can imagine the cocked eyebrows of someone receiving an email from me with such an effusive sign off!
[+] [-] vimy|4 years ago|reply
https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=0c60818e26ecdbe423a10ad2...
[+] [-] muffinman26|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mensetmanusman|4 years ago|reply
Love, Saruman
[+] [-] mmahemoff|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] another-dave|4 years ago|reply
– "Can you send me the foo report?"
– "Sure here it is"
– "Thanks"
– "No worries"
If someone says 'thanks in advance', I presume it's to soften the lack of reply so I don't think it's rude. Also means I don't need to acknowledge their thanks email & we can move it from a 4 email conversation to a 2 email one.
Between colleagues that are already dealing with a lot of email I'm all in favour. (Assuming I already have a decent relationship with this person)
[+] [-] mcbishop|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] bluedino|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ck425|4 years ago|reply
"Presume good intent"
There are so many different cultures of written communication and due to the internet you're far more likely to come across someone who uses a different "written communication culture" than a spoken one. So if someone comes across as rude or inappropriate due to how they word things I try to actively ignore tone, reserve judgement and presume good intentions.
[+] [-] gitgud|4 years ago|reply
The highest rated sign-off "thanks in advance" implies that you're thanking them for their future action, which is most likely a response to a question in your email.
Whereas the lower rated sign-off's "kind regards" and "best regards" don't imply that you're expecting a response at all.
[+] [-] thedailypickup|4 years ago|reply
I use thanks a lot, especially if I'm trying to get something done. A little appreciation never hurt...
[+] [-] _nickwhite|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] NicoJuicy|4 years ago|reply
Let's just say she's not well liked.
[+] [-] brigandish|4 years ago|reply
That the "community" is against this (which is a contentious claim but certainly a vocal subset are against it) may be an indicator as to why I try not to spend any time on it any more.
[+] [-] jobigoud|4 years ago|reply
I ended the mail with a "Cordialmente" ( ~ Cordially) as it was informal, and it translated this single word to "Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments les plus distingués", which is about the most formal formula possible.
[+] [-] ghoomketu|4 years ago|reply
I guess when you end with that, it makes it clear that I'm waiting for the other person to reply to me.
We also write "please do the needful" and "please advise" a lot in our emails too :/
[+] [-] thenoblesunfish|4 years ago|reply