How To Write A Business Thank You Letter
HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS THANK YOU LETTER
Grammar Pattern
Warm-up
Talk about these questions with your teacher.
선생님과 이야기해 보세요.
- When was the last time you wrote a thank-you letter or message to a colleague or business partner? What was it for?
마지막으로 동료나 거래처에 감사 편지나 메시지를 쓴 적이 언제인가요? 어떤 이유였나요? - Do you think a handwritten thank-you note is more meaningful than an email in a business setting? Why or why not?
비즈니스 상황에서 손으로 쓴 감사 편지가 이메일보다 더 의미 있다고 생각하시나요? 그 이유는 무엇인가요?
Vocabulary
Listen and repeat after your teacher.
선생님을 따라 읽어보세요.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
Grammar Pattern
Thank-you notes are just as welcome in business as they are anywhere else, but they may need to be a bit more formal to be consistent with the corporate atmosphere.
Steps:
1. Write the note on a typewriter or word processor using your letterhead. Avoid sending store-bought thank-you notes.
2. Address the note to a particular person who has helped you or rendered a particular service or favor. Use his or her formal name and title on the address line.
3. Use a more informal greeting ("Dear Bob," "Dear Sue") if you are on a familiar basis with the person you are writing to. Otherwise, the greeting should reflect the person's formal name ("Dear Mr. Jones").
4. Explain who you are and what the note is about in the first few lines. Make reference to the service or favor that has generated your thank-you note.
5. Use professional language throughout the note and a personal, breezy touch.
6. Keep the note as brief as possible while maintaining a tone of friendliness, especially if you are personally acquainted with the person.
7. Close with your formal name and title on the signature line. If you know the person well, sign the note by hand using your first name. Otherwise, sign your full name.
8. Enclose your business card if no prior relationship exists with the person you are sending the note to.
9. Address the envelope using the recipient's formal name and title.
Tips:
It can also be appropriate to send flowers or some other thank-you gift if someone has really gone out of his or her way for you.
Interview follow-up
Interviews should be followed by thank you letters from the applicant! E-mail is not appropriate for this!
But what if...
Sending a thank you note to an interviewer via snail-mail is a nice personal touch, but what if the position is to be filled within a day or two? An e-mailed thank you note will ensure it gets there on time. Or, you can always hand-deliver a paper thank you note to the receptionist the next day.
Warnings: Avoid excessive familiarity if you do not have a personal relationship with the recipient.
Korean Trap! / 한국인 실수 교정
Common mistakes Korean speakers make.
한국인이 자주 하는 실수를 알아봅시다.
한국어에서는 "도움 주셔서 감사합니다. 은혜를 잊지 않겠습니다"처럼 포괄적이고 감정적인 표현이 자연스럽지만, 영어 비즈니스 감사 편지에서는 구체적으로 무엇에 대해 감사한지 명확히 밝혀야 합니다. 막연한 감사 표현은 진정성이 떨어지고 형식적으로 느껴질 수 있으므로, 상대방이 해준 구체적인 행동이나 서비스를 언급하세요.
Discussion
Share your thoughts with your teacher.
선생님과 의견을 나눠보세요.
- How would you apply what you learned today?
오늘 배운 것을 어떻게 활용하시겠어요? - What was the most useful part of this lesson?
이 수업에서 가장 유용한 부분은 무엇이었나요? - Can you think of a real situation where you would use this?
이것을 사용할 실제 상황을 생각해 볼 수 있나요? - What would you like to practice more?
더 연습하고 싶은 것은 무엇인가요?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS THANK YOU LETTER
Level: Business (BIZ)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!