Handwritten Notes Give A Little Extra And Get A Big Response

We're knee-deep in the Implementation Season of the Student Leadership Year (see 6 Seasons of A Student Leadership Year) or you should at least be moving in that direction very, very soon.  Activities are in full swing in my neck of the woods and our student leaders are starting to feel the fatigue from the efforts of the first week.

When we start to run out of gas physically, it can cause a drain on our emotions, motivation, and enthusiasm.  What we need right now is a good dose of encouragement.

I recommend some handwritten notes.

Around here, the handwritten note has become somewhat of a relic.  We are pretty good with email and text messaging, but our mailboxes are starting to collect too many cobwebs and too much junk mail.

Why a handwritten note?

1. They are personal.
   When a person receives a handwritten note, they immediately know that you took the time to write specifically to them.  Oftentimes, it's easy to copy and paste emails or text.  Handwritten is original most every time. 
   
   As I was thinking about this, I realized that we all have unique penmanship (much like our different fingerprints, different DNA).  Our writing is our own.  When we write something to someone, we are offering them a word of encouragement in a way that no one else can.
2. They take a little more time and energy but speak volumes.
   You may be able to type 100 words a minute and can spit an email out in 30 seconds.  You may have bad penmanship.  But taking the extra minute (we're not talking about writing a book by hand) to write out a couple of sentences will mean more than pecking it out on the keyboard.
3. People who receive them have a strong tendency to hold on to them.
   I have written notes to some of my student leaders and seen them hanging on their bulletin boards the next day.  I have a file folder that I keep of encouraging notes that have meant the world to me.  These things have a long and strong shelf life.
4. They convey a sense of relationship.
   If I'm going to write you an encouraging note, it means something.  The note that's written says that you are a significant person, worth the extra time.  It is something that I am doing because I care about you and I care about our relationship.  They convey a higher level of sincerity.
5. They are encouraging.
   This may seem redundant, but I can't emphasize it enough.  Handwritten notes that are meant to be encouraging ARE encouraging.  Unless you have incorporated sarcasm, ridicule, or some form of an insinuation that can be easily misunderstood...this works.

Here's the challenge:

Buy a bunch of blank index cards and jot an encouraging note to three people per day this week (I'm thinking Monday through Friday...that's 15 notes).   You can easily knock this out in 5-10 minutes each day.  If they live far away...you'll need to get some postcard stamps.

Extra Credit:

Find someone doing something good (for example: a checkout clerk that has a great smile and a fun attitude) and grab one of your index cards, jot a quick note, and hand it to them.  Watch their expression....it's priceless!

If you'd like...share how this experience has affected you in the comments below.

Comments

[Mary]

Hi there, love your comments.
I send min 1 card a day to someone, If you email me your mailing address, physical one, I will send you a card, and an oppt to try and send a card, just like it shows on my site. You can even have your own handwriting and signatures, this system althought technical, send a card for you just like it came from you. Even pictures added.
You gotta love it.
Mary
mary.fields@shaw.ca
www.maryfields.com

[Rosa Say]

Tim, you are so right about this, the handwritten note is a lost art that we need to return to popularity.

Hana hou! Cheers for more encouragement, consideration, and thoughtfulness.

Terrific coaching for us, thank you.
Rosa