In formal letter writing, a salutation is customary and should match the level of familiarity between sender and recipient. A proper greeting should also match the tone and formality of the closing. Using a formal greeting helps set the tone of the letter.
In formal letter writing, it is customary to include an opening greeting known as a salutation. In a standard business letter, it usually appears two lines below the recipient’s address, if included. Otherwise, the salutation starts at the top right of the letter. An appropriate salutation for a formal letter generally begins with the word Dear, followed by the title and name of the letter recipient: “Dear Mr. Smith” or “Dear Professor Jones,” for example.
Some business or formal letters drop the word “Dear” altogether and start with just the recipient’s first name. It can be followed by a comma, a semicolon, or even a dash. The point is to make sure the correct recipient gets the message and to set the overall tone of the letter. Some modern letter writers may omit the salutation altogether, especially when using electronic communications with limited capacity.
An informal letter may include an informal greeting, such as hello, hey, hey, or what’s up? Email correspondence can be particularly informal, with the sender’s initial message containing a more formal greeting such as “Hi, Mr. Jones,” and subsequent replies dropping it entirely.
Some writers who don’t know the specific name or title of the intended recipient may use a more generic salutation such as “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam,” although business etiquette experts strongly suggest obtaining specific contact information first. resorting to such a general greeting. Even a generic greeting, such as “Dear Customer Service Representative,” can be considered an improvement over “To Whom It May Concern.”
A proper greeting should match the level of familiarity between sender and recipient. A formal letter addressed to the president of the United States, for example, should begin with “Dear Mr. President,” not “Hi Barack” or “Hey Prez.” There are reference books that contain the appropriate greetings for dignitaries, political leaders, celebrities, religious figures, and other professionals, so a letter writer should ensure that they are using the appropriate greeting for the right occasion.
The opening greeting of a business letter should also match the tone and formality of the closing. The traditional “Sincerely” or “Best Regards” may seem a bit boring or outdated in a modern business letter, but using a closing line like this helps personalize your message. Ending a letter of complaint with “Respectfully” can restore a sense of civility to the process, while ending a letter of introduction with “Looking forward to your prompt response” demonstrates interest and initiative.
Using a formal greeting may not be as critical in many modern communications, but it helps ease the recipient into the rest of the letter and sets the tone as formal or informal.
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