The Power of a Note

Committee Note: A quick break from our on-going series “My Journey: A Continued Road to Learning”, check out this quick teaser Lynne shares before her MPI Toronto Magazine article “The Communication Game – Back to the basics” is posted in our next issue!

Did you realize that the average person receives about 121 emails a day?
All from various sources either project related, newsletters and updates, social emails and of course the lovely spam emails. Counter that number with how many letters, postcards, or handwritten cards that you receive on a daily basis. I bet that the number is not even in the double digits. The art of the handwritten note is one that is at the threat of extinction. It is just not something that people tend to do. Well, that needs to change! With technology comes convenience, speed, and accessibility. What we lose, is the sentiment and the personal touch.

A handwritten card, even if brief, engages more senses than a digital note and it also makes the brain more active. People are more inclined to put up a handwritten thank you card in their office as opposed to print out a thank you email. Overall, it just feels more personal. It shows the receiver that you feel that they are important. Yes, it might take longer for them to receive it if this is something that is mailed, but I guarantee that it will be cherished, and they will love getting something in the mail that is not a bill.

As a rule of thumb, always keep a few thank you cards with you. For in person conferences and events write and hand out thank you cards on the final day to any of the departments or individual staff that assisted in the event. Don’t forget about clients or vendors – you can mail thank you cards to them along with a business card. Get creative with your cards and include your company logo if creating something custom. This is a great opportunity to showcase your brand!

Writing a letter or a thank you note to someone is one of the basic communication tools. I explore this and a few other communication basics in my upcoming MPI Toronto Magazine article, The Communication Game – Back to the basics.

About the Author:

Lynne Coyne, CMP, CITP, Intuitive Conferences + Events
Contact: lynne@intuitivece.com
Social Media: @IntuitiveCE, @coynely