Other experts want to weigh in?

To a co-worker or boss, I try to always give a hand written note. I don’t think an email is appropriate response and this makes it personal. I try to mention what I’m doing with the gift (or what I bought with the gift card).

The nice thing about notes is you can always throw them away after reading them, cutting down on the amount of paper you keep. And with the technology available, I scan some to keep in a computer file.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized the impact of a handwritten note — once I realized that my it put a bounce in my step, I resumed my practice of earlier years — I keep a selection of pretty (sometimes humorous) note cards (and stamps) by my desk and try to send out several each week. Sometimes they are in response to someone’s effort on my behalf — sometimes they are just a note to someone I feel needs a wee boost. Although it was not my intention to garner responses to my efforts, I have received a number of positive comments from folks who’ve received my notes. So I guess I’m not alone in my joy at finding something positive in my mailbox.

I used to tell people in my journaling and scrapbooking classes — your handwriting is as distinctive as your voice. People you are close to will undoubtedly recognize it before opening the envelope. Personally, I still love seeing notes written by my mother, who passed away many years ago. So the emotional impact of a handwritten note should not be overlooked.

In the end, I feel any gift given deserves a thank you note in return — it’s a nicety we seem lax about teaching our children these days. That’s too bad — somethings were “rules” in previous decades for a reason. Thank you notes are one of them in my book.

So while e-mail is great, and cell phones keep us connected, take a moment now and then to brighten someone’s life. And DO remember to respond to those gifts with a quick note. After all, if the Devil’s in the details, it truly IS the little things that count.

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I wrote an e-book of sample thank you notes because i had gotten so many requests for samples. The booklet is free to anyone who emails me at liz@ultimate-resumes.com and requests one.

Thank you notes are a great way to make someone else’s day and make yourself look classy and well mannered. So, start writing!

When it comes to business, I consider thank you’s very important as a way of showing gratitude. Whether I deliver my thanks in a letter, email, or phone call depends on the professional relationship I have with the person.

Sometimes a written thank you also serves as a paper trail, so I’m careful to word it with that in mind. For instance, the person might be able to use my thank you note as a letter of recommendation in a future job search. An organization might want to publish an excerpt of my letter in a brochure as a customer testimony. Or, my email of thanks may actually help in tracking the status of a business transaction.

I know many people who display thank you notes they’ve recieved by placing them on their desks or bulletin boards. And many hiring managers who say the thank you letter after an interview was the deciding factor in hiring an employee.

So I say, thumbs up on thank you’s as long as they’re sincere.

Also, I had thought this was a topic that would be generationally divided, but the evidence thus far doesn’t prove or disprove that either.

Thanks, Dawud, Douglas, Hazel and Heather for your opinions.