If you follow your contact on Twitter or keep an eye on their blog, you can’t lose with a comment about their professional tweet or post. Try something like this out on a Monday morning to beat the back-to-work doldrums. 3Īre the ideas flowing along with the coffee? Who doesn’t want an upbeat, productive day? Think about the other person’s work setting and come up with a few fun or clever ways to wish them well. I hope your day has been upbeat and productive. Look for common ground and start from there. A shared experience like a conference is always a good starting point, particularly if it’s relevant to the conversation to follow. If you know your contact, consider starting with something more personalized.
And yet, sometimes you want to start an email with a bit of polite banter. Here’s a tip: It’s okay to leave “How are you?” unanswered when responding to an email unless the answer is somehow pertinent.ĥ Alternatives to Writing “How are you doing?” and “How are you?” in Emailīecause they’re so ubiquitous, these phrases can disappear into the background or, worse, sound like insincere filler. It’s also better to use “How are you?” when you don’t know the correspondent very well-it’s generic enough to be considered a polite (if rather meaningless) gesture. Which phrase sounds more professional?īoth phrases are appropriate for work correspondence, but stick to “How are you?” in more formal settings. When you write an email or other text greetings, the stakes change a bit. A rather flat “How are you doing?” can become outright flirtatious when spoken, “How are you doing?” (especially if you drop the “are” and affect your best Joey Tribianni accent.) Which is more professional: “How are you?” or “How are you doing?” “How are you?” might come across as a one-size-fits-all greeting, but “How are you?” would have a more personal or sincere tone, or even one of concern. When spoken, both phrases convey unique meanings depending on which word is accented. cricketswool on English Language & Usage Stack Exchange “How are you doing: is the new baby still keeping you up all night?” The latter is more common when there is some expectation that the subject might not be doing well.įor example: “Hey, haven’t seen you in ages! How are you?” versus. “How are you?” is a bland greeting for someone you haven’t seen for a while, while “How are you doing?”. In my experience as a native speaker in the Middle Atlantic region. Take this example from a forum discussion on the topic: In an audible conversation, the perceived differences between the two phrases can vary regionally.
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