Clichés in Written Communication

We are all guilty of including at least one of these phrases in mails that we send out regularly as part of work.

A gentle reminder

I am tired of receiving “gentle” reminders for meetings. Reminders should be rude by nature. A reminder is an alarm. How about a very gentle alarm that doesn’t disturb you in the morning? A reminder pops up like any other notification on my smartphone and immediately qualifies as an interruption, its gentleness notwithstanding. A gentle reminder is therefore an oxymoron. A reminder should simply have the word “reminder”. In fact, closer deadlines call for louder reminders. Let us send our reminders and be aggressive about them!

Respected Sir

“Sir” indicates respect. The use of the word “respected” introduces a sense of artificiality in the greeting. Most often it is used out of fear of offending the revered receiver. It often happens that the receiver is quick to spot the superfluity. Let our letters begin with simpler and more truthful salutations.

Dear Sir

How likely is it that the addressee is dear to the addressor? In a professional setting, there is a good chance that the addressee is the latter’s boss or someone higher up in the organizational ladder. I am not suggesting that the addressee is not worthy of endearment. But I can’t deny that “dear grandpa” sounds more authentic than “dear sir”. Why not drop “dear” if we don’t really mean it?

Yours sincerely

The only use of the end-of-mail cliché is to signal the end of a mail. A simple “END” or a horizontal line at the end of the mail would suffice. Instead we carry the dead tradition of letter-writers and end every mail with such useless phrases. What is more pathetic is that kids are forced to learn these end-phrases in boring English classes. Getting rid of salutations might make mails more austere. But austerity in communication ain’t a bad thing!

I will get back to you

This is usually meant as a euphemism for “I can’t do this right now”. If this is indeed the case, why not respond with something more elaborate such as “I am a bit held up with other things. Can you remind me to look into this in a week’s time?” This may not always apply and the suitability of this response depends on the context. But if we have no plans to “get back” any time soon, let us at least be upfront about it.