Handwritten Notes

When the pope died, a friend of mine asked for protocol advice. She was wondering about the proper thing to do for some of her very devout Catholic friends. We talked about ideas / possibilities (email, phone call, card, etc) and then the subject turned to handwritten notes.

Handwritten notes have taken the back seat to email messages. I have to admit that I have only one friend who writes to me in her own handwriting! I treasure every note from her.

Handwritten notes create a warm feeling. They show that the person took the extra effort to find the tools--pen, paper, envelope, and stamp--and then took some time to write a personal note.

When I coach my clients in the interviewing process I often get questions about sending email "thank-you's" after the interview. The answer is always NO! Take the extra time. It will pay off.