To Greet or Not To Greet in Emails

With more emails being exchanged than ever, several kind readers have emailed me on the topic of whether incorporating a greeting in your emails is still necessary. Or is it “a waste of time”?

As with most issues, discretion is key. Generally, you should include a greeting. In other, less formal, quick back-and-forths — it may not be necessary. But for me, I just can’t send an email without a greeting.

Greetings are a Social Courtesy

When you call someone on the phone, you always say “Hi”, “Hello”, or offer some sort of greeting before you start rambling away about the reason for your call. It’s the same if you’re in person, right? So it would make sense that greetings in emails are a thing.

It is also common to ask how someone is doing or what is new. That’s called human interaction, and it helps the communication become a conversation between two human beings.

If you were to call someone and start talking without a purpose, that would be a bit ostentatious and rude. Those you are calling may cringe when they see it is you. The same can apply to email.

How would you react if someone called you and was so concerned about what they wanted to say that they went right into why they were calling without this little nicety? That’s why most people prefer to communicate with those who show the basic courtesies and present themselves in a friendly manner.

Some say they are too busy to type a simple ‘Hello’ or ‘Hi’. Really? 3-6 keystrokes? A few more keystrokes if you type a name (which is also recommended). That’s just an excuse for being lazy.

The little effort it takes to type a “Hey, John!”, “Hi, Jane:” or a “Hello, Sally:” can make all the difference in the world in setting the tone of your email. A tone that gets the reply you are looking for.

Don’t be Cringey

Without a nice greeting (Hello, Hi, G’Day, Hey) at the beginning of your email, your content is more often perceived as demanding or terse. We don’t want to come off as rude or bossy, do we?

With email, the tiny little courtesies, such as including a greeting with every email instead of just blurting out your comments, demands, or questions, will go a long way to being perceived as someone who is a pleasure to communicate with. When the other side sees your name in their inbox, they’ll be excited to see what you have to say instead of mumbling “…now what?”

Some believe that general writing rules and skills do not apply to email. Just because you are not writing it by hand doesn’t mean you are not writing. It’s an informal communication tool, yes, but that doesn’t mean courtesy is unnecessary.

Imagine if people just added a little courtesy in everything they did, including email?

Without a greeting:

Did you get my email with the questions about this weekend? I need your response.

With a greeting:

Hello, Jane:

Hope you are doing well!

Did you get my email with the questions about this weekend? I really need your response.

Thank you!
John

Do you see the subtle difference in tone and intent? Especially when you add a closing and your name to wrap things up?

Now, there are times when in a personal back-and-forth email conversation, you wouldn’t use a greeting because it is not necessary. For example, when I am emailing my sister, after a series of emails, one side or the other may just type back a humorous comment. No greeting necessary — we are in a conversation.

The simple courtesy of a greeting in an email can serve to reflect that you are a pleasant person to communicate with. It helps to build relationships and encourages future discussions.

Well worth the few extra keystrokes required, don’t you agree?