In thinking about positive language, which I blogged about yesterday, it reminded me about my surprise at email salutations here in London.
In Wales, where I’ve worked for most of my career, emails tend to be signed off ‘thanks’, ‘thank you’ and variations on the theme. ‘Regards’ are fairly popular too. In London, they’re usually signed off with ‘best wishes’.
It’s a new convention for me, but I kinda like it!
Always ending with thank you suggests more of a position of subservience, and best wishes, a lightness of greeting that brightens your day.
My absolute favourite is ‘best things’. The first time I read it, I beamed with delight. I should definitely use this more!! I’ve also seen ‘keep on’, which is definitely particular to the individual!!
Just goes to show how simple language can set the tone of positivity or otherwise. It’s not a directive to keep smiling, it’s just a simple salutation used hundreds of times a day. But what you choose can make a big difference and will set the tone for your communication and your relationships, especially if you email first and meet up second.
Avoid ‘Thanks for reading this whole email. Here’s a picture of a kitten’ though, unless maybe you’re ‘that’ lawyer!
Best things
☺️