There's No Excuse for Dear Sir or Madam

In the unsolicited email I get, every day brings more messages that begin "Dear Sir or Madam." But these days there is no excuse for that greeting. Anyone who wants to write to me can easily learn whether I am a sir or a madam. They can also track down my name. If they really want to succeed with me, they can read this blog and my website to learn about my preferences, personality, and possible needs.

That's why I feel comfortable deleting every message that begins "Dear Sir or Madam" without a second thought for the writer or the message.

Does anyone read email that begins that way? Do you?

Lynn
Syntax Training

Comments

[McClain]

Lynn,

I see your point but does this also carry over to letters or other 'out of the blue' hard copy written communication?

I tell my students that such a greeting is ok when they are writing a claim letter or something to an anonymous someone in the bowels of a company.

Is this greeting ok in those circumstances? Thanks!

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Hi, McClain. Thanks for your great question. I was thinking specifically of email when I wrote my complaint.

You are right that "Dear Sir or Madam" is acceptable in business letters to unnamed individuals. I myself prefer using a job title when I can, for example, "Dear Claims Professional."

Lynn

[Alfredo]

I guess I don't automatically delete emails with something similar to "Dear Sir or Madam," although I am looking for ways to cut down on time spent in email.

Hey, just about any reason I can find to improve productivity makes me happy!

[McClain]

Thanks, Lynne. And thanks again for all your great work. I gain a lot from following your blog and newsletters.

[LesterSmith]

One point I'd raise is that it isn't always possible to determine gender from a name. I've known Jean's and Lynn's and Loren's of both sexes, for example. And the issue is even more troublesome with foreign names: Asa? Li?

I suspect that some writers to whom English isn't native are less comfortable with the personal approach of "Dear Lynn Gaertner-Johnston," believing that "Dear Sir or Madam" is more respectful.

Which is to say that I don't automatically delete such emails; I usually judge by the first sentence instead. :-)

[JiminJapan]

In my opinion, to make such a sweeping comment as "that is why I am comfortable deleting every message..." does not reveal an entrepreneurial and opportunistic spirit that is essential to the successful small-businessperson. You might be missing all kinds of new opportunities and ideas based on this arbitrary rule that you have created for yourself. I would rather think that, well, sometimes there are such excuses for such impersonal greetings, take my ego out of the picture, and look for potential value in the content that has been presented to me "free of charge." As I am not a claims professional, I hardly ever get such emails in the first place, but I do use the salutation when shooting off blind emails to such professionals--to me, "Dear Sir or Madam" actually sounds less impersonal than "Dear Claims Professional."

Basically, rather than create set-in-stone rules, I would simply suggest that you ask yourself why you use email in a business setting in the first place and then act in a manner that that is consistent with achieving that goal. If I may ask, what is the goal of the rule? Is it to punish the apparent offenders?

This approach, based on addressing reasons (not actions), gets to the heart of the issues that are key to successful strategic business communications--asking yourself why you are communicating in the first place, asking yourself who you are communicating with, and asking yourself what you want the audience to do following the effort to communicate a specific message.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Hi, Lester. Thanks for voicing your opinion.

I agree that many names do not indicate gender. But if people are sending me an email, they are on the Internet. If they are on the Internet, they can find me on my website and blog. I believe it is obvious from my photo that I am a woman, but I am open to suggestions about changing my photo if it is not obvious.

If people have the opportunity to find out who I am, won't they do so if their message is more than spam? They will not use "Dear Sir or Madam."

Thoughts?

Lynn

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Hi, JiminJapan. You are right. We all need to have our own approach to email in our businesses. Mine is to not spend my limited time on reading spam. I consider spam any message that was not sent to me but rather to a huge group of "Dear Sirs and Madams."

By deleting spam instead of taking time to read it, I have more time to do productive work that helps my clients and myself.

My intent is not to punish anyone. It is to be effective at my work by not using up time with messages that are not really intended for me.

Thanks for bringing up "Dear Claims Professional," which I mentioned in response to McClain's question. I might use that greeting in a business letter rather than "Dear Sir or Madam" to focus the greeting a bit. I would not use it in email.

I like your suggestions in your final paragraph. If people would follow them, they would not send me impersonal broadcast messages.

Best wishes,

Lynn

[S Freeman]

In response to Lynn, Re: Lester's comment, I would say that's true - for you Lynn. If I search your name I will indeed see your photograph but that's not the case with everyone. I'd guess that most people I'll be emailing soon about graduate school information and admission do not, in fact, have a photo posted on the web.

Also, admissions boards consist of mixed genders so anyone could be reading my message. In this case, where I am writing a personal letter and I intend to impress my audience, do you recommend I use "Dear Sir or Madam" as a salutation? I'd appreciate any suggestions you have - thanks!

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Dear S Freeman,

Thanks for your practical question. If you are writing to people whose name you have or can track down, the best way to impress your audience is to find out how to address them. Taking the extra step to get it right would be very impressive.

For example, if you are applying to a certain university, check the website to find the name of the director of admissions, and email that person if you can.

If you are writing to an admissions department or board and cannot find a person's name, I recommend "Dear Admissions" Or "Dear Admissions Board" over "Dear Sir or Madam."

Whenever you are communicating, the goal is to be less impersonal and more focused on your readers.

Good luck with graduate school!

Lynn

[Janet]

I am not a fan of the greeting, "Dear Sir or Madam," but I realize this is just my personal preference. The greeting I dislike even more, however, is "Dear Sirs," especially when I am the hiring manager receiving the cover letter and job application! In my opinion, there is no situation in which, "Dear Sirs," is acceptable.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Janet, thanks for making that important point. "Dear Sirs" is never appropriate.

Lynn

[Lynn Mills]

That is an arrogant and haughty statement. Granted, if the individual knows that you are a female then there is no excuse. But there are males out there with the name Lynn. Now, Samantha, Julie, or Rebecca, I can say with a certainty that they are women, but Lynn can be construed as being a male as well.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Lynn, I am not sure which statement you find "arrogant and haughty." I don't see anything in this post or its comments that I would characterize that way.

Yes, both men and women are named Lynn. But when people write to me, I hope they can see I am a woman.

Lynn

[Jennifer]

What about if you are answering an ad for a job on craigslist or another site that does not provide a company name, nor a phone number. You are actually answering via the job listing site, therefore therei s no way to know nor find out. Is there something better than "Dear Sir or Madam" that you can suggest for better results?

Jennifer

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Jennifer, how about "Dear Hiring Manager" or "Dear Recruiter" or "Dear Employer"?

Thanks for asking.

Lynn

[Henk]

Dear Lynn :)

What is an appropriate opening for a business style "out of the office" reply?

Is it a good practice to use "Dear sir, madam"? And should "sir" and "madam" be capitalized? Is it better to say "sir or madam"? And as a last question, is "madam or sir" weird to use (formally seen, I think so).

I ask this question on behalf of a friend who actually send me the "Dear Sirs" version in her automated reply :)

Henk

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Henk, for an out-of-office email response, I do not believe a greeting is necessary. Why not simply begin with the message?

In "Dear Sir" both words are capitalized. If you chose "Dear Sir or Madam," you would capitalize the key words, as I have done.

If you think your friend is open to suggestions about her business writing, why not talk with her about her "Dear Sirs" opening?

Lynn