From the course: Business Etiquette: Phone, Email, and Text

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Respectfully addressing recipients: Names, gender, and pronouns

Respectfully addressing recipients: Names, gender, and pronouns

From the course: Business Etiquette: Phone, Email, and Text

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Respectfully addressing recipients: Names, gender, and pronouns

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We just talked about the importance of having a salutation at the beginning of an email. But what do you do if you're unsure which title, name, or even pronouns to use? We don't always know a person's preferences, so here are some strategies to help you out. The first option is if a formal title is required in the salutation, do a little detective work. Check their signature, bio, LinkedIn profile, or any document authored by them that might contain their titles and pronouns. Second option is to not use a title. Use their name only like "Dear Alexander" or "Good Morning, Lindsay." A third option is to reach out by phone, explaining that you're drafting an email, and want to confirm their preferences when being addressed. This option would be reserved for formal emails, responses, stationary or high-touch tasks that warrant it. Otherwise, the second option would suffice. A good gesture is to remember or even ask their preference when you exchange contact information, and to immediately…

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