If you’re still using ‘best’ as your email sign-off, it’s time you stop. Now. According to an article in Bloomberg Business, if you are signing off your e-mails with “best”, then you’re doing it all wrong.
According to a study in 2003, quoted in the article, only 5 per cent of the people chose to end their e-mails with “best”, followed by “thank you” and “regards”. Though “best” might be safe, it’s also incomplete and impersonal.
Dear readers, let’s assess how you sign-off your emails.
The “Best” Brigade
Best is probably the worst e-mail sign-off that can be used. People who use “best” or “best wishes” are confusing emails with greeting cards. Imagine saying, “You are fired. Best, XXX.” Hellooo!
This is probably a good time to write-off “best”.
Sincerely Out-dated
It’s a perfect sign-off if you’re living in 1905. But that’s not case, is it? Let’s be honest. How sincere do you really feel when you send those random forwards or silly attachments?
Thx/Rgds... Erm, What?
Come on guys, a few more words would not hurt your fingers, or take away precious seconds from your life. Incomplete sign-offs such as these either show that you cannot spell, or you wrote the e-mail with a hammering hangover!
The Cheerful Cheers!
“I regret to inform you of your permanent reassignment. Your services are no longer needed. Cheers, XXX”.
What are you trying to say? Are you trying to cheer up the person you just fired? Or are you raising your glass to them? And no brownie points for trying your best to come across as very “British”. Oopsie daisies!
Love Is All You Need
Love works well if you’re mailing your wife, children, friends or family members. It’s personal and hence you should probably refrain from showing unnecessary love in your work and professional e-mails. It’s creepy and weird.
And let’s not even talk about XOXO.
Thanks, But No Thanks
Congratulations, you have reached the end of the mail, and “thank you” for reading the entire mail.
Yes, that’s what happens when you sign off with a resounding “thank you”. Yes you can thank your prospective employer if you just been offered a job, but there is no need to thank your boss for reading your leave application.
Your’s Truly, Madly, Deeply
Yawn! Are you writing to the Human Resource or to an editor of a newspaper? “Your’s truly” goes back centuries, and it’s better it remains there. What say?
You say it best when you say nothing at all. This is probably the best way to sign-off in today’s Facebook messenger, Slack, Hangout, Skype world.
Love,
The Quint
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)