Even in our modern world of text messages, instant messages, and emails, the thank you note remains iconic. In the workplace, a thank you note can have special meaning because it’s not part of the rush of daily life.
But writing thank you notes isn’t always as easy and straightforward as it seems. So, we’ve pulled six thank you notes from history to examine what makes a good thank you note.
Make it Personal
Thank you notes should be personal to the person receiving the note. If you send out thank you notes to candidates for a job interview, make notes between interviews so you can personalize the messages.
We don’t recommend writing a form letter for a “thank you” because it will come across as generic and bland. Thank you notes are powerful, but they are powerful because they are unique and individual notes.
The one exception to the “generic” thank you note comes from Rowan and Martin, a comedy show in the 1960s and 70s. This “generic” thank you note came complete with a list of “Copies to” for other performers who get the same note and a note to the secretary to use the “cheap stationary.”
It’s pretty apparent that the “generic” thank you note was handcrafted just for John Wayne.
“To our very best pal John Wayne (or occupant):
When Dick said to me “Say Dan, we should have John Wayne in our Hollywood Boys Glee Club.” I couldn’t have agreed more. I said, “I couldn’t agree more, Dick, because I have considered John Wayne a marvelous performer ever since his (or her) wonderful performances(s) in Singing Cowboy & Donovan’s Reef and Boys in the Band.” (Note to secretary: if he (she) hasn’t done anything lately, send version 8 on the cheap stationery.)
Anyway, John, it was great having you with us on Aug 15, 1973. We enjoyed your singing, acting, dancing. Thanks again, and regards to your wife, husband, or whatever.
In closing, Dick and I both agree that of all the celebrities, you, John, were the best.
Very truly yours,…”
Perhaps the funniest part is the list of people copied on the note!
Make it Specific
Thank you notes should be specific and express exactly what the person did. The more specific the thank you note, the better the receiving individual knows what they did to have a good impact. It makes it more likely that the behavior will be repeated.
Ronald Dahl, Author of Big Friendly Giant, received a bottle of colored water, oil, and glitter. It was from a fan, Amy, and was a “dream in a bottle.” inspired by his book. His thank you card inspired other readers to ask their parents if they could also send him a dream in a bottle.
Dear Amy, I must write a special letter and thank you for the dream in a bottle. You are the first person in the world who has sent me one of these and it intrigued me very much. I also liked the dream. Tonight I shall go down to the village and blow it through the bedroom window of some sleeping child and see if it works. With love from, (signed) Ronald Dahl.
Make it Timely
Make sure to thank your employees in a timely manner. “Thank you’s” lose effectiveness as time goes by. Ideally, thank you notes should be sent or given within one or two days of the incident or behavior that the employee is being thanked for.
Even a week later, a thank you card will be less effective than within the first couple of days. But, if you forget to send a thank you card, sending one is much better than not sending one- even if it’s very late.
Neil Armstrong sent a thank you letter 25 years after he went to the moon. It was directed to the engineering team that built his spacesuit. We hope this wasn’t the first thank you he sent them, but if it was, late is better than never! After 25 years, very few of the engineers were probably still working for NASA. It’s more likely this thank you note was written as a public acknowledgment of his gratitude, rather than as a means to personally thank those involved.
To the EMU gang:
I remember noting a quarter-century or so ago that an emu was a 6-foot Australian flightless bird. I thought that got most of it right.
It turned out to be one of the most widely photographed spacecraft in history. That was no doubt due to the fact that it was so photogenic. Equally responsible for its success was its characteristic of hiding from view its ugly occupant.
Its true beauty, however, was that it worked. It was tough, reliable and almost cuddly.
To all of you who made it all that it was, I send a quarter century’s worth of thanks and congratulations.
Sincerely, (Signed) Neil A. Armstrong
Avoid Sarcasm
Sarcasm should be avoided in both thank-you notes and constructive feedback. If you have to correct an employee, do it in a direct, honest way. Don’t use a fake “thank you” note to do it.
This thank-you note from Roger Taylor, the drummer for the band Queen makes him look worse. Instead of shrugging off a bad review, he wrote a “thank you” note to tear down the reviewer. Instead, it made him look small and childish.
Your peculiar 1970-time-warp attitude, coupled with an innate, congenital miscomprehension of rock & roll, continues to fascinate and annoy.
Thank you, oh thank you, for the pseudopolitical slant and personal dishonesty that you continue to peddle in your outdated, opinionated, down-home rag. Thanks also for the finely tuned musical assessment of my group from our sound check!
Grow up. You invented the bitterness. I pity you. You suck. You are boring and you try to infect us.
Awaiting your charming review of my current album in about eight months!
ROGER TAYLOR London, England
Be Sincere
A thank you note without sincerity fails in epic proportions. Sincerely comes from the heart and speaks to the heart. It builds connections between the sender and the receiver.
This letter from Audry Hepburn oozes with sincerity.
Dear Henry,
I have just seen our picture—BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S—this time with your score.
A movie without music is a little bit like an aeroplane without fuel. However beautifully the job is done, we are still on the ground and in a world of reality. Your music has lifted us all up and sent us soaring. Everything we cannot say with words or show with action you have expressed for us. You have done this with so much imagination, fun, and beauty.
You are the hippest of cats—and the most sensitive of composers!
Thank you, dear Hank.
Lots of love Audrey
Describe the Impact
When writing a thank you note, you can have a greater impact on the receiver by describing the positive ways their actions impacted you. Everyone likes to be of help, but it can be hard for some employees to connect the dots and understand how their impact is important. Thank you notes can help to bridge that connection in the workplace.
This thank you note, from a Dr Suess fan expresses the impact that Theodore Geisel had on then-teenage Howard Cruse when he responded to a teenager’s fan letter. The teen grew up believing in himself and became a professional cartoonist. His letter of gratitude clearly expresses that Dr Suess’s belief in him inspired Howard to pursue his dreams.
Dear Mr. Geisel/Dr. Suess,
If you peer at the two Xerox copies which are attached to this letter, you’ll recognize them as your gracious responses to a thirteen/fifteen-year-old Alabama boy who wrote to you in 1957 and 1959. I told you about….and I confided that I hoped to grow up and write and illustrate children’s books myself. As you can see you gave me a valuable gift: you took me seriously.
It’s been twenty-five years since the second of your two letters to me was written. During that time, I’ve often thought that I should write and thank you for the encouraging words which you offered me. On my fortieth birthday last May, I was given (at my request) The Butter Battle Book. I enjoyed seeing the world through your eyes again as much as I did when I was very young, and I appreciate your willingness to engage a truly serious and important subject within the children’s book format.
…I have grown-up to be a cartoonist and humorist illustrator… I occasionally receive letters from youngsters not unlike the letters I wrote you. And remembering the strength of the childhood dreams which represented by such letters, I try very hard to do as you did and treat the young artist as a person with dignity. Thanks for showing me, in your work all through the years as well as in the particular letters you wrote to me, both how to be a wonderful artist and how to be a kind and supportive human being.
Yours sincerely, Howard Cruse
Conclusion
Thank you notes are iconic and special, but they aren’t the only way to recognize others for a job well done. Even if thank-you notes aren’t your style, if you make your “thanks!” personal, specific, timely, and sincere, it will have a greater impact.
About Thanks
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Thanks customers benefit from the same decades of research in employee motivation and company culture that O.C. Tanner enterprise clients enjoy, but in a product that is geared for fast, easy and simple deployment. Whether you’re starting a recognition program or improving and expanding on what you already have, Thanks has everything you need to engage your people with effective, scalable recognition.