skills-shared/email-processor/references/tone-of-voice.md

# Michael Heerkens — Email Tone of Voice Reference

This reference defines Michael's natural email writing style. Every draft must follow these patterns.
Generated from analysis of 100+ sent emails across recruitment, vendor management, internal team,
and partnership contexts (March 2026).

## Core Principles

| Principle | What it means |
|-----------|---------------|
| **Brevity first** | Most emails are 1–3 sentences. Never use five sentences when two will do. |
| **Direct & action-oriented** | Lead with the ask or the answer, not context. Skip pleasantries. |
| **Casual but professional** | Relaxed and approachable, never stiff. Think "colleague at a whiteboard." |
| **Bilingual (NL/EN)** | Dutch for NL contacts, English for international. Mixing is OK. |
| **Human & warm** | Despite being brief, never cold. "thanks!", "top", "mooi", occasional 👍 and ;) |

## Greetings

- **Use:** "Hi [first name]," or "Hey [first name],"
- **Quick replies:** Often no greeting at all — just the response
- **NEVER:** "Dear", "To whom it may concern", "Good morning/afternoon", "I hope this finds you well"

## Sign-offs

- **Most common:** No sign-off, just the signature block
- **When used:** "Thanks!", "Groet,", "Groeten,", "Cheers,"
- **NEVER:** "Kind regards", "Best regards", "Warm regards", "Sincerely"

## Email Length

- **Quick acknowledgments:** 1 word to 1 sentence ("Top, thanks", "👍", "Payment made", "Done")
- **Standard replies:** 2–4 sentences
- **Detailed responses:** Max 1–2 short paragraphs, only when truly needed
- **Rule of thumb:** If it takes more than a few lines, schedule a call instead

## Formatting

- No bold, italic, or colored text in emails
- Rarely uses bullet points — prefers running text
- **Always capitalize the first letter of every sentence.** The tone is casual but not sloppy — proper capitalization is non-negotiable. This applies to both English and Dutch emails.
- Includes HubSpot scheduling link when setting up calls: `https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/michael-heerkens/`

## Dutch Abbreviations

When writing Dutch emails, use these common abbreviations naturally:

| Abbreviation | Meaning | Example |
|-------------|---------|---------|
| kwa | qua (regarding) | "Kwa opties is dat prima" |
| mbt | met betrekking tot | "Mbt de factuur van vorige week" |
| eea | een en ander (things) | "Ik zal eea nog checken" |
| ed | en dergelijke (etc.) | "Tools, processen ed" |
| oid | of iets dergelijks | "Een csv export oid" |
| iig | in ieder geval (in any case) | "Iig bedankt" |
| sws | sowieso (anyway) | "Dat moeten we sws doen" |

## Characteristic Phrases

| Michael says… | Instead of… |
|---------------|-------------|
| "Top, thanks" / "Top, dank" | "Thank you very much for your response" |
| "Can I get an update on this" | "I was wondering if you could provide me with a status update" |
| "Let's schedule a call" + HubSpot link | "Would you be available for a meeting? Please let me know your availability" |
| "That works for me" / "Sounds good" | "I find this proposal to be acceptable" |
| "Payment made" / "Done" | "I have processed the payment as requested" |
| "Not sure this is the right fit" | "Unfortunately, after careful consideration, we have determined…" |
| "What do you guys think?" | "I would appreciate your feedback on this matter" |

## English Style

- Contractions always: "don't", "can't", "won't", "it's" — never formal expansions
- Sentence fragments are fine: "All good.", "Works for me."
- Questions are direct: "Can you check this?" not "would you be so kind as to…"
- Technical terms used naturally when relevant (CMS, PIM, ERP, PSP, k8s, API) without over-explaining
- **Always capitalize the first word of every sentence**, including after periods, question marks, and line breaks

## Tone by Context

### Internal Team
Very casual. Often just a few words. "Top", "Mooi", "Nice" as acknowledgments. Delegates clearly.
Doesn't over-explain — trusts the team. Pushes when something is late: "Can I get an update on
this please, its already syncing for days and still not ready."

### Recruitment / Candidates
Friendly but efficient. Always includes HubSpot scheduling link. Honest feedback — doesn't sugarcoat.
"The conversation was ok, not a wow", "For this position, 'fine' is unfortunately not enough."
Rejections are direct but respectful.

### Vendors & Suppliers
Professional but assertive. Will escalate firmly when service is poor. Pushes back on pricing.
Still polite — "Thanks for the info" — but blunt about poor performance.

### External Partners / Clients
Slightly more polished, still conversational. "Thanks!" and keeps things moving. Half a notch
more formal — still "Hi [name]", still short, but a bit more structured.

## Pre-Send Checklist

Before finalizing any draft, verify:

1. **Length:** Is this shorter than what you initially wrote? Can you cut more?
2. **Greeting:** "Hi [name]," or no greeting? No "Dear"?
3. **Sign-off:** "Thanks!" / "Groet," / nothing? No "Kind regards"?
4. **Formality:** Would a CTO actually write this to a colleague, or does it sound like a template?
5. **Contractions:** All "do not" → "don't", "cannot" → "can't", etc.?
6. **Action first:** Is the ask/answer in the first sentence, not buried at the end?
7. **Language:** Dutch for NL contacts? Correct abbreviations?
8. **Scheduling:** If a call needs scheduling, is the HubSpot link included?
9. **Capitalization:** Does every sentence start with a capital letter? This is mandatory — no exceptions.