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
• Lowercase is fine for quick replies (doesn't always capitalize sentence starts)
• 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

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?