The Power of the Handwritten Note
By: Mark Winter
When is the last time you received a handwritten note? Do you even remember?
It might have been as a follow up to the gift you gave at the last shower or wedding you attended. It might have been in response to those slippers you gave your mother for her birthday. Or, it might have been Aunt Edna’s Christmas letter scribbled out on three pages of spiral paper and focused completely on her bad hip. Chances are, it’s been a while.
Do you remember how you felt when you saw that one envelope in your pile of mail that looked different? The envelope was addressed by hand—not by a machine. The stamp was real—not a bulk-mailing permit. And when you opened it, you saw that someone took the time to put pen to paper and connect with you on a very personal level. It was the first thing that you opened—and it was the only thing that you remembered.
I send a minimum of 10 business and personal handwritten notes a week. These include:
• Thank you for…
• Great meeting you at…
• Just in case you missed this article…
• Congratulations on…
• I value the relationship…
• I thought you would enjoy this book because…
• Condolences…
• Sorry for…
While I was on YouTube, I found this video related to this very topic. Regardless of your political affiliation, you can appreciate the message of how you can touch someone, at even the highest level, through the power of a handwritten note.
Don’t worry. A handwritten note does not have to be a long letter. Take the time to craft it carefully. It can be three sentences scribbled on a card. It’s the message, not the length, that counts.
As for new school versus old school—they can live in perfect harmony. You can still text, email, post and tweet. Just throw a little “old school” in the mix every once and a while. I guarantee you will be pleased with the results.
