“Dear Madam”, “Hello to both of you”… 8 Mistakes to Avoid in Email Call Forms

Fifteen seconds. It’s the average time a conversation partner spends reading an email. Hence the importance of grabbing his attention from the first word. The email complaint form, surprisingly, remains the most read part of the text. Therefore, there is no question of ignoring it. “This polite formula allows us to relate to the other person and set the tone for the rest of the message,” says Sylvie Azoulay-Bismuth, professional writing specialist and author of the book. Be an email pro (1). It is as important as the completion of email formulas. not using one would mean walking into the office without knocking.” Hence the importance of mastering codes.

Dry tone formulas

That’s the easy way out. However, a simple “hello” is never neutral; “It actually feels like a very dry holiday,” says the coach. According to him, it is better to be more formal and say “Hello Madam” or “Hello Sir”. The single “Sir” or “Madam” suggested by epistolary codes can, depending on how close you are to the person, come across as a bit cold or formal. There’s no real rule here, it’s all about feeling.

“Hello again

Do we still need to use the call form after the third email exchanged with the same person? Yes, according to the coach. “It is important how many times we write to each other during the day, we ask for permission to communicate, he claims. Without this formula, it’s like interrupting someone without warning. And in practice. We first say hello, then greet only by first name or “ma’am” or “sir”. On the other hand, opt out of “hello again” (except for internal emails), which doesn’t exist in French.

Getting the degree of proximity wrong

This is the ba-ba of social relations: you would not greet a stranger as you would a friend. In the same way, it would be desirable not to address a professional interlocutor as an office colleague by e-mail. “Unless we have a strong level of intimacy with the other, we will always choose to call them ‘Ma’am’ or ‘Sir’ rather than spell their name,” says Sylvie Azoulay-Bismuth. If the other person responds by signing his name, it means that he agrees to be called that, then we can start the next letter with “Hello, [prénom]”. Likewise, we avoid our company’s internal email. out of emails from “hello” and “hello” from his cousin. Even if they’re modernizing mail, they’re also giving them a more familiar tone. The proof is that they would not put up with a “Mr” following them.

“Dear Lady”

The letter is often impersonal, almost cold. “The less we mobilize the support of expression (voice, look, body language…) and the more distant we seem from the person,” emphasizes the expert of the project, Julien Soulier. Voltaire and book author Why the French? (2). To compensate for this lack, therefore, it is not surprising that there is a desire to create intimacy with the interlocutor. Therefore, it can be tempting to start correspondence with “Dear Sir” or “Dear [prénom]”. But be careful. this formula is only used if you maintain a cordial relationship with your recipient. All this is again less about French than about social connections.

Take too long

Whoever says email also says automatic email. To distinguish ourselves from these mechanical dispatches, we will absolutely avoid tripod formulas such as “Hello Madame Dupont.” “By thinking of personalizing our correspondence, we actually give the impression of a robotic language, even a little hypocritical,” warns Sylvie Azoulay-Bismuth. The recipient will subconsciously think that we are trying to sell them something and will tend to be wary of the rest of our email. Here again the choice will be between “Hello Madam” and “Madame”.

Short sentences. “This is a rule that must be applied throughout the pro post, whose goal is efficiency first,” abounds Julien Soulier. The more we make sentences with subordinate clauses, the more we risk losing in the construction and therefore also losing the addressee. More precisely, the ideal length of a sentence is about ten words. above twenty words, the interlocutor takes, mentions the studies. We cut it!

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Reach out to multiple people

What about emails to multiple recipients? If there are only two, we prefer the form: “Hello, [prénom 1], [prénom 2]rather than the more conversational “hello you two”. “Beware of hierarchy,” emphasizes Sylvie Azoulay-Bismuth. We will always put the one with the highest hierarchical level first. When addressing more than two people, several call formulas are possible: “hello everyone” if there are only women; “hello everyone” if you are talking to women and men. And if an entire team is concerned, you can also select “all” or “dear all.”

Make a capitalization mistake

Capital letters show our respect. In such a writing as e-mail. “It’s an honorific capitalization that’s required in polite formulas like summons,” he explains. This is why it’s important to take a few seconds to proofread your message before sending it to ensure it’s worded flawlessly.

Outdated formulas

If there is a formula for repulsion, here it is. Only for one and good reason. “It’s not modern, it’s a holdover from a time when we were much more formal,” says Sylvie Azoulay-Bismuth. We will also refrain from writing generic ‘Gentlemen’, because “this formula comes from the 50s and 60s, when it was assumed that we were only addressing men,” he insists. It is quite possible to modernize these formulas. “Recently, a young woman approached a company called “Sireli Team”. [nom de l’entreprise]” and it’s great for me to stand out during the application email,” says the coach. The most important tip to avoid missteps is to follow the messages you receive. We are inspired by expressions that mark us, and we exclude those that disturb us.

(1) Sylvie Azoulay-Bismuth is the founder of the eLearning website French for professionals . His book “Be an email expert. 7 steps to writing effective emails“, is published by Editions Eyrolles.

(2) First editions.