[Guest blog post] concept and writing by Rossi Walter for Ikigai Connections
Welcome back! Here we get into the practical details for writing our message. Every line is full of valuable information, so let’s go ahead and dive right in.
Section 1: Names and Professional Titles
Here are some basic guidelines for how to address people in professional correspondence.
Keep it simple. The ways to format the name of the recipient and their professional title are innumerable and sometimes context-specific. It is perfectly fine to keep to the basics.
Format 1: To [Full Name] [comma] [Professional Title] [semicolon or comma]
To Kasia Lynch, Ikigai Connections Founder:
Format 2: To [Professional Title(s)] [Full Name] [semicolon or comma]
To Ikigai Connections Founder Kasia Lynch,
Both formats are standard and professionally acceptable.
Alternatively, you can choose to use name prefixes like “Mrs.”, “Mr.” and “Ms.”. In this case, always use the family name (last name) first. This applies to both English and Japanese communications. For example, Mrs. Takahashi, Mr. Walter, Miss. Ueno, and so on. For gender-neutral options full names are arguably the most common option. The use of the prefix “Mx.” (pronounced like “mix”) is another alternative. Both options also avoid revealing marital status, an omission that is preferred by some folks.
In English, it is rather common to switch from using the full name to only the first name in follow-up messages. Doing this helps avoid making mistakes about name prefixes that are antiquated, gendered and/or reveal private information like marital status (e.g. Miss, Mrs.). This tendency might differ between professions and working environments. At the end of an email, people might choose to use only their first name, as doing so can come across as less stiff. For the same reason, using only the first name might be seen as too casual in some professions.
With Japanese names, what to do might depend on the context. For example, if the company is a Japanese company based in Japan, then it is reasonable to attach the honorific Japanese suffix 様（さま） to the end of a person’s family name. The suffix 様（さま）is the standard for clients, superiors, and formal communications. Alternatively, the person’s job title might come after their full name instead. Note that, much like the English name prefixes, a person will never refer to themselves with the honorific 様（さま）. It is strictly to be used to refer to other people, especially superiors and customers.
On Japanese meishi, the last name might be written first. This is the standard practice in Japan for Japanese names, regardless of meishi. This is a good chance to use our Japanese skills! For meishi that have both Japanese and English, let’s be sure to check all the information on both sides. We also might encounter some Japanese meishi that follow a more European custom, which is to write the family name in all capital letters, e.g. TAKAHASHI Aya or Kenji SATO.
The caveat to all of these guidelines is to simply follow the other person’s lead. (This also applies to non/gendered pronouns.) Simply copy however a person formats their own name. Not only is this a reasonably safe course of action, it also shows that we are paying attention. Exceptions to this would be using any nicknames—unless of course a person specifically requests to be called by their nickname.
Some individuals have earned professional qualifications that allow them to attach special prefixes and/or suffixes to their name. In both English and Japanese, using professional titles is appropriate, such as Professor Matsumoto, Dr. Matsumoto, Matsumoto-sensei, 松本（まつもと）先生（せんせい）. Even if that person does not use them consistently, including them in each correspondence can be a sign of respect. Again, if we are invited to do differently then it is best to follow the person’s request, e.g. “Please feel free to just call me Kenji.”
A final note about using kanji in Japanese names: always check that they are the correct ones. Some Japanese names sound the same but will use different characters, e.g. Matsumotoas 松元versus Matsumotoas 松本. In both names the second kanji is different. When using a Japanese keyboard multiple kanji configurations might come up automatically, so it is important to double- and triple-check the name spelling and characters used before hitting ‘Send’.
Section 2: Greetings
Consider the words of advice from Madisyn McKee (writing for Indeed.com):
“When creating a professional email, keep it simple, to the point
and void of any grammatical or spelling errors.”
For those of us who love to write and express ourselves in words, professional correspondence might sometimes feel dry. We might feel like it doesn’t reflect our enthusiasm or the real weight of our intentions. Some of us might have the opposite point of view: we wrote what needed to be said and not a word more. Clean, simple, to the point.
Well, networking often requires a bit of both. For effective networking, we might aim for our correspondence to be strictly professional—with a human touch.
Let’s see how that might work with some examples. What is strictly professional appears in bold. The human nuance appears in italics.
To the Director of International Affairs, Amy Kawasaki:
Greetings to you in the New Year. I write wishing you well at the start of 2024.
To Head Instructor Hiroki Hernandez
Congratulations on yet another school semester completed.
In these examples, we see how “strictly professional” means addressing the recipient of the email by title and full name, and with a formal greeting. To complement that information, the addition of a seasonal or otherwise meaningful greeting not only softens the message, but also demonstrates awareness of our recipient’s annual work cycle. There is no need to go too deep here; simple is best.
★ Culture Note: Have you heard of jikou no aisatsu 時候の挨拶（じこう の あいさつ）before? Translated literally as “greetings of the season”, jikou no aisatsu are poetic phrases or related expressions taken from the rich Japanese literary tradition. Even today, these unique phrases will often appear in Japanese communications, especially printed ones from companies to customers, schools to parents/guardians, and other similarly formal exchanges.
Section 3: Introductions
Introductions happen when we introduce ourselves and explain clearly the context of our message. In the examples below, the introduction appears in bold and the context appears in italics.
To Director of International Affairs, Amy Kawasaki:
Greetings to you in the New Year. I write wishing you well at the start of 2024. My name is Rossi Walter and I work with Ikigai Connections as a blog writer. Last year, I had the pleasure to follow the activities of your office on social media and decided to reach out to connect more directly.
To Head Instructor Hiroki Hernandez
Congratulations on yet another school semester completed! My name is Rossi Walter and I live in the vicinity of your school. For months now, I have been really impressed with the public works projects of your students and staff in the area. I would like to learn more.
The key point here is to name, as soon as possible, both ourselves and how we are coming into the correspondence. It is also a sign of respect to let the recipient know clearly who is writing them and what kind of social dynamic or social network might already be present. Just briefly explain any shared context or background information that illuminates our own relationship, if any, to the company or organization. Doing so may help give the reader a sense that a relationship is already there between you two, and that your correspondence offers a chance to deepen that connection.
Accordingly, the introduction is a key moment to generate trust from our reader. It is not a moment to offer highlights about who we are or what we want (that comes next). Keep the introduction concise, strictly professional, and human.
Section 4: What We Want
In Networking 103 we learned that we “want to state what we want clearly.” While generally true, this can and should be approached differently depending on the context. The first example below represents what might suit a more American context and the second example represents what could be a more appropriate style for a communication with Japanese colleagues. (Passages are shortened for length.)
To Director of International Affairs, Amy Kawasaki:
Greetings . . . Last year, I had the pleasure to follow the activities of your office on social media and decided to reach out to connect more directly. I am wondering if there might be a chance to collaborate with your organization this year for several unique programs this summer, aimed at local students in my city.
Here, the target outcome is expressed in a direct statement. In the United States people generally communicate more directly, and direct inquiries and requests are perfectly normal (and often preferred). Now, in the second example, notice how the phrasing takes a more indirect approach.
To Head Instructor Hiroki Hernandez
Congratulations . . . Recently, I have been really impressed with the activity of your students in the community. I would like to learn more, for example, is student activity decided by the school directly, or by the students themselves? Is it possible for local businesses to propose community projects that your students might take interest in? Please let me know where to direct these and other questions.
Here, rather than statements, questions were more prominent. What the writer is actually seeking—a chance to propose a project to student volunteers—is mentioned but never explicitly requested. In Japanese, this is called toumawashi 遠回し（とうまわし）and it is very common in business communications and relationships in general—including romantic dating!
★ Culture Note: We can also understand toumawashi as a form of graciousness and humility. It is a communication style that is centered around the fact that we cannot always know the full details of another person’s thoughts and feelings, their situation, or what may or may not be possible for them. Taking a toumawashi approach to communication effectively allows someone the grace of responding to us with a wider range of options, including saying “Sorry but no”, but in a softer, more socially acceptable way.
Section 5: Who We Are
After mentioning what we want, it might be appropriate to provide some relevant information about our background. We want to give facts and concise information about our intentions and our motivations. Here is one example. (Passage is shortened for length.)
To Director of International Affairs, Amy Kawasaki:
Greetings . . . I am wondering if there might be a chance to collaborate with your organization this year for several unique programs this summer, aimed at local students in my city. Last year, I helped coordinate early-stage online exchanges between local high school students and students in Japan. I speak and read some Japanese and help with communications between schools here and in Japan. This year, I am hoping to increase opportunities for all students to participate in online exchanges and in-person ones, too.
Relevant facts:
- “I helped coordinate”
- “Local high school students and students in Japan”
- “I speak basic Japanese”
- “Help with communications between schools here and in Japan”
Intentions and motivations:
- “I am hoping to increase opportunities for all students”
Here is another example. (Again, passage is shortened for length.)
To Head Instructor Hiroki Hernandez
Congratulations . . . Please let me know where to direct these and other questions. About me, I support local business owners who engage with Japanese products, like clothing and food. I help manage their social media accounts. I think it could be interesting to organize a culture exchange between these businesses and any students who have an interest in Japan, Japanese culture or Japanese language, which I also study.
Relevant facts:
- “I support local business owners”
- “engage with Japanese products, like clothing and food”
- “I help manage”
- “Japanese language, which I also study”
Intentions and motivations:
- “I think it could be interesting to organize a culture exchange”
- “any students who have an interest in Japan and Japanese culture”
In this early stage of correspondence, we want to keep information concise and easy to digest. Let the facts speak for themselves! Single-page resumes can wait for a later time; provide CVs only upon direct request. Sharing other relevant information via a website or a social media account like LinkedIn is usually fine, if included as a hyperlink somewhere in or at the end of the message in the sign-off (see Section 6).
Section 5: Personal expressions
Enthusiasm and hope are both expressions of our own desire for a positive, fruitful outcome. Similarly, curiosity for more information expresses our interest in the activities of the person on the other side of our email. Sharing these sentiments and highlighting common goals and mutual interests can help to create promising relationships.
To Director of International Affairs, Amy Kawasaki:
Greetings . . . This year, I am hoping to increase opportunities for all students to participate in online exchanges and in-person ones, too. It has been inspiring to watch how other programs have grown thanks to your support, and it excites me to imagine what opportunities could be created for the students that we work with over here.
Expressions of enthusiasm:
- “It has been inspiring to watch how…”
- “it excites me to imagine…”
Expressions of hope
- “imagine what opportunities could be created for…”
To Head Instructor Hiroki Hernandez
Congratulations . . . any students who have an interest in Japan, Japanese culture or Japanese language, which I also study. It is an area of great potential for our community, and I hope that would include your students, too! Would it be helpful to have a way to gauge their interest in such a project? I’d be happy to send along some ideas.
Expressions of enthusiasm/hope:
- “an area of great potential for our community, including your students”
- “I’d be happy to…”
Expressions of curiosity
- “Would it be helpful to have a way to…?”
This should be the most exciting part of the message, as it represents the bridge that we want to build, the alliance that we hope to forge, and the future that we are working to create! Enjoy crafting this moment. Keep it simple, and keep it honest.
Section 6: Sign-off
Keep it concise. Wrap up the message quickly with an expression of gratitude (in bold) and an acknowledgement of the recipient’s own busyness and their schedule (in italic). After that, add a concluding salutation, your name and your title (if applicable) to close things out.
To Director of International Affairs, Amy Kawasaki:
Greetings . . . and it excites me to imagine what opportunities could be created for the students that we work with over here.
As the new year begins, I appreciate how things start to move very quickly. If a 15-minute phone call is more convenient for you, then I am happy to find a time that works. Thank you for your consideration.
Best regards,
Rossi Walter
Ikigai Connections, writer
1 October, 2024
To Head Instructor Hiroki Hernandez
Congratulations . . . I’d be happy to send along some ideas!
Soon the doors will open for the new school semester. If there is any space to talk in person, then I am happy to come by the school if that is convenient for you. Maybe weekdays before 10am or after 3pm would work? Thank you for all that your students do for our community.
Sincerely,
Rossi Walter
1 October, 2024
And there it is, your first complete draft. When it’s finished, set it aside for at least a couple hours or a full day. Then, come back to it with a fresh mind and proofread for errors, typos, and spots that could be smoother. Ask a friend or a mentor to look it over for you and provide advice. Trust us—proofreading and peer review are our friends.
In Conclusion
So what are you waiting for?
Take a look at the latest postings on the Ikigai Connections job board, pick something that lights up your eyes, and try these tips for yourself. We would love to know how it goes.
Connect with Rossi on LinkedIn. For inquiries related to editing, proofreading, and even general conversations about life in Japan, please email: hellorossiwalter@gmail.com.
Be sure to check out the other articles in this networking series: Networking 101, Networking 102, Networking 103, Networking 104, and Networking in Japan: How to Find a Job in Japan as an LGBTQIA+ Person.
Photo by Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash
