Also referred to as the complimentary close, the valediction in a letter or email is where one writes, for example, Yours Truly, Take Care, Sincerely, Piss Off or Peace to end a note. The valediction is important in writing, especially in business communications.
Equally as important is a useful signature. Most business-related emails have a signature that is automatically applied to the end of each message. No one wants to type their name, title, company name, website, phone numbers, LinkedIn page and all of that each time they write a message, so automatic signatures are a great idea.
Valedictions = Good
Auto Email Signatures = Good
Don’t Automate Your Valediction…
A seriously annoying situation is created, however, when one combines their content-sensitive valediction with their automatic email signature. We all know that guy who has “Cheers” applied by default to every email he sends, just above his signature, and usually in a different font and color than the message. Or worst of all, “Thank You & Have a Nice Day.” WHY?!
Dear Mr. Miller,
Your test results came back and we need to talk ASAP.
Thank You & Have a Nice Day,
Doctor Nick
I’ve talked to people who use auto-valedictions to learn why they use them and am usually given an answer resembling “I don’t know.” But to your recipient, it expresses laziness, a lack of sincerity, and, after lots of email communications with that person, confusion.
To those of you that are guilty of this atrocity, we don’t dislike you and we know that you know you can do better. We look forward to future emails together and your content-appropriate complimentary closes expressing your genuine sentiment. If you’d like to share any thoughts or comments, meet me on Facebook and Twitter.
Only The Best,
Jim Miller
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