Let’s fix your next thank-you email. You know the one:
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me…”
“Thanks for the helpful feedback…”
Here’s the fix. It’s stupidly simple:
1. Don’t start with the thank you.
2. Start with anything else.
3. Then say thank you.
4. Then, stop. Go live your life.
This is a genre of email we all write. Reluctantly. Automatically. With the same charisma as a compliance checkbox.
It’s not that gratitude is bad. It’s that when you start with it, you leave yourself nowhere to go. You’ve front-loaded all your sincerity, said the equivalent of “nice weather today,” and are now expecting a standing ovation.
Here’s the thing: we say “thank you” not because we’re thankful, but because we are simulating gratitude in the hopes it will increase our personal brand. It’s fine. But it’s also noise.
So, instead of saying:
“Thanks for your presentation,” say
“Your presentation was a reality check in the best way. Always appreciate you looping me in.”
Now you’ve got momentum. The email goes somewhere. Sincerity (when it shows up wrapped in context and curiosity) feels unexpected. It gets read. It gets remembered.
And yes, it still counts as professional (arguably, more professional). Because it shows you paid attention.
So. Next time you're writing a thank-you email?
Say anything else first. Then say thank you. Then stop typing.