RULE #14: WRITE HANDWRITTEN LETTERS

"THE WRITTEN WORD
ENDURES, THE SPOKEN WORD DISAPPEARS."

- NEIL POSTMAN

When's the last time you received a handwritten thank you letter? Do you remember it? I bet you do, and I bet you know exactly where it is. One handwritten letter takes five minutes, but the impact has the potential to last a lifetime. The response I've received from giving out handwritten thank you letters has been tremendous. People receive so few handwritten letters; when they do, it feels like it's their birthday. More than likely, they'll keep it on their desk, on their refrigerator, or maybe somewhere else in plain view. The point is: they keep it. They'll see it and be reminded of you every single day. Take the time to write these letters. They can make a huge difference in your life.

Here's a letter I received a while back...guess where I keep it?

Keep this format in mind when writing your thank you notes:

• Start by thanking them. For example, thank them for their time their input, or even thank them for the excellent conversation.
• Tell them what you learned from them or how they provided value to you. One or two sentences is sufficient, there's no need to go into lengthy detail.
• Tell them how you're going to implement what you learned, or how it will benefit you in the future.
• Offer to help them with their needs, and try to close the letter in a way that starts a discussion. Try to be specific with ways you can help them. If you aren't specific, you're actually putting the work on them to figure out how you can help them.

Keep in mind, your letters must be genuine and authentic. They have to be real. Don't just write them in hopes of benefiting yourself. If the person helped you in any way, thank them, and be sincere about it. Sincerity goes along way.

If possible, give the letter to them in person. This will be more difficult if this is only a one day event, but it's still doable. If the conference is more than one day, really push hard to make this happen. If you've been taking notes, you can refer to those when writing your letters. This doesn't just apply to speakers and organizers. Any attendee who helped you is also just as deserving of a letter.

If you do plan to give your letters in person, be careful not to mix the cards up and give out the wrong one. This sounds simple, but if you have multiple thank you letters in your pockets it can be tricky at times. While at an event, I once handed a speaker the wrong letter and then had to take out a handful of 10 other letters to find the one with his name on it. It's funny now, but it was extremely awkward at the time and I recommend avoiding that situation.