Grandma 101: Human Connection Transcends Social Media - The Art of Hand-Written Notes in the Digital Age

by Melanie Griffin February 12, 2020

Elderly women writing on notepad.

From a young age, my Grandma, like many others, encouraged a hand-written note for most life events - to show gratitude, sympathy, thoughtfulness, celebration, and a host of additional emotions and occasions. At her encouragement, this art-form was used to connect with family and friends, both locally and across the miles.

As a professional, this practice continued. Cards and tokens of remembrance were sent in celebration of career milestones, to lift up mentees struggling with challenges, and to remind others that they brighten this world by the positive change they effect every day. They were sent out of genuine concern and love for others. An unintended consequence is that they made my career successful. The following is why.

Social media and electronic communications are powerful tools for broadening communications and superficially learning about others, an alternative news source. They are not effective ways to deepen worthwhile relationships. Those require genuine human connection. In-person meals, phone calls, hand-written notes and other actions that allow meaningful one-on-one interaction are the gateway to the soul, what is required to truly bond with another.

Beyond enriched relationships, the influence of more deeply connecting with others is evidenced by a colleague who religiously sends five hand-written notes per day to empower and inspire others. She is the #1 salesperson in her region at her company, a title held for four consecutive years.

To experience how letter-writing can enrich your life and practice, consider the following:

Keep a Stash

Letter-writing is easiest when you have a supply on hand. Stock-up on a core group of “occasion” cards, including birthday, sympathy, congratulations, wedding, baby, and thinking of you. Expense is not necessary; bulk-rate and 99 cent cards work just as well as bedazzled messages. The focus is outreach to inform the recipient of your care and appreciation.

Make an Appointment & Fill the Crevices

Extra-curricular tasks fall by the wayside when treated as such. Like client work and customer services, connecting with others is critical to growing your business. To integrate these tasks, a colleague calendared a two-hour appointment each Friday during which marketing activities were completed. The appointment was valued like an important client meeting, and only missed in case of an actual emergency. Also strategically fill small gaps of time – instead of logging onto social media when you have a few extra minutes, use that time to complete a note or two.

Strategically Use Social Media

Like human connection, a vibrant online presence helps grow your business; it simply is not a replacement for personal touch-ins. To achieve balance, determine the appropriate amount of time to use social media and limit your online participation to that daily period. When online, critically analyze your contacts’ lives and what offline follow-up communication is appropriate. For example, an online posting regarding a promotion is a wonderful opportunity to send a hand-written congratulatory note celebrating that achievement.

Include Your Call to Action

If the purpose of the note is to further your relationship with the recipient, inform the recipient that you will follow-up in the coming weeks regarding connecting for breakfast/lunch/etc. If the recipient reaches out to you first, great! If the recipient simply receives your card, you can follow-up regarding a subsequent meeting without feeling awkward.

Avoid Using “I”

The recipient is the cornerstone of your communication, not you. “Meeting with you was fabulous,” is more genuine and impactful than “I enjoyed our meeting.” Both sentences attempt the same message; the former achieves celebration of the recipient, your true intention. “I” is rarely needed, and should be used sparingly.

Final Thoughts for Sharing Your Joy

Members of the Spread Your Sunshine community frequently share that receiving a note card, token of remembrance, or other cheer-me-up was the one thing that made them feel important that week or lifted them up during a challenging time. So, do not trivialize the positive impact you have on someone's life through the few minutes you spend authentically connecting with them. Oftentimes, telling someone how you feel instead of simply thinking about them makes all the difference in their world.

And, do YOU have additional tips that will help the SYS community?! We’re sure you do, so please share your advice by emailing Melanie@SpreadYourSunshine.com or by sending Spread Your Sunshine a message via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter. We love hearing from you, as together we are strongest.