𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥?
Getting the tone of your greeting wrong can create misunderstandings, especially in a global workplace. What feels friendly in one culture might come across as unprofessional in another—and vice versa. The challenge? Knowing when to use “Hi John” versus “Dear Mr. Müller.”
🌍 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬
🎯 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒, it’s common to use informal greetings like “Hi John” even in professional emails.
𝐈𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲, formality is the norm. “Dear Mr. Müller” is expected until permission is given to use first names.
💡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Adjust your greeting based on both:
1️⃣ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭.
Are you emailing a client, colleague, or senior leader? Choose a greeting that reflects the level of formality appropriate for the relationship.
2️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭.
Do some research! Using culturally appropriate greetings shows respect and professionalism and helps build stronger relationships.
📌 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: Greetings are more than just words. They set the tone for the rest of your email and show your understanding of cultural nuances.
💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬!
🔄 S𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!
