“Thank you for your concern” in (Business) Correspondence

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Human beings are gifted with intellectual and physical abilities to communicate with one another.

Other than that, humans also have the ability to create a psychological impact by using meaningful expressions in discourse.

Since communication goes beyond logic, we can deduce the meaning of expressions subsumed in words, phrases, and sentences.

In this article, we will try to break down and understand the meaning behind an expression used to signify gratitude, “thank you for your concern.”

 
 

What is the meaning of “thank you for your concern?”

“Thank you for your concern” is an expressive communicative act that conveys a sense of gratefulness towards a hearer or a reader. This is typically used to respond to someone who expresses support and offers kind words. A person using this verbiage either in writing or oral speech intends to acknowledge the action that has been done or offered, which likely reinforces positive relationships in the process.

 

For what purpose and where can we use “thank you for your concern?”

Using pleasurable words to express indebtedness is part of our daily routine that invariably happens after receiving some favor.

This illocutionary act positively influences the well-being of the message provider as well as the recipient for it elicits tacit and mutual respect.

The expression “thank you for your concern” can be observed in the formal register such as in business correspondence.

It may also be used in colloquial conversations like personalized letters and other forms of direct messages.

This verbiage may be used after a person shows support in times of grief, sickness, problems, and other seemingly discomforting circumstances.

Simply put, it is a speech act mainly done to recognize or acknowledge an implicated act of kindness coming from another person or group of people.

 

“Thank you for your concern” in business emails

Tact and civility are highly valuable in the business industry for these acts serve as the subjective vertebrae of business-based relationships.

This means that the presence or absence of courtesy could make or break small and huge-scale businesses alike.

In business, proper etiquette is essential in establishing and maintaining a systematic function that facilitates business growth.

Through effective collaboration and teamwork, a business can therefore shift smoothly from one gear to another, which increases the value of a favorable attitude in the process.

“Thank you for your concern” may be observed in cases wherein, for instance, a subordinate member truthfully expresses gratitude towards a boss after receiving some form of approval.

 

This kind of email could prompt the use of “thank you for your concern” as part of the response such as in the next example.

Of course, “thank you for your concern” is not limited to the above situation alone.

It may also be used in other less formal situations such as in personalized letters or direct messages intended for people with whom we have an intimate relationship.

 

“Thank you for your concern” in personal letters

In personal letters and direct messages, the idea behind expressing gratitude by using “thank you for your concern” remains the same.

This can also happen after someone has extended their concern or sympathy to another person suffering from injuries or illnesses.

Note, though, that the tonality of the entire message may change due to the rather intimate bond or connection of this type of interlocutors.

Similarly, the message above could prompt the message recipient to use the expression in discussion in the response.

Although “thank you for your concern” can be perfectly used in casual messages, note that “thanks” would sound more natural, nonetheless warmer, in this specific scenario.

The shortened version “thanks for your concern” would more likely illustrate that the interlocutors share a deeper relationship, as opposed to a business-like tone.

 

Alternative expressions for “thank you for your concern”

Several other expressions may also be used to imply a similar meaning to “thank you for your concern.”

This can be reworded in such a way that it would become more suitable in either formal or informal registers.

These equivalent expressions are listed below.

 

Alternatives in the formal register

Formal register refers to situations requiring a relatively higher degree of professionalism and politeness.

In English, and perhaps in many other languages, formalistic communication entails the usage of more complete sentences, as opposed to slang and interjection-infested brief ones.

When someone shows “concern,” it means that the person aims to show support to the message recipient.

 

Thank you for your support

We can also reword the expression into “thank you for your support,” which means the same if used in the same context.

The alternative expression above has the ellipted or omitted subject “I” which is already implicated by the context.

Including “I” in the expression constitutes grammatical completeness, whereas the omission of the subject elicits a more native-like tone.

 

I appreciate your concern

Another way to express gratefulness is by saying “I appreciate your concern,” wherein “thank you for” is replaced with “I appreciate.”

Not only does using “I” elicit a natural tone, but it also emphasizes the idea that the speaker or writer is personally doing the act of gratefulness.

Therefore, the statement could be adjusted into this expression if and when one wants to highlight this fact, as opposed to saying a general expression.

Adding “I” also indicates that the message creator is the only person involved in the conversation apart from the other interlocutor.

It gives a certain idea of creating more warmth in the message and that more communicative effort is exerted at the same time.

 

Thank you so much for your concern

Adding the intensifier phrase “so much” gives out a warmer connotation to “thank you for your concern.”

When you hear or read the expression “thank you so much for your concern,” that would suggest that the person is more than grateful.

Expressions as stiff and polite as “thank you for your concern” can be more affectionate by simply adding “so much” in the middle.

Being professional in our fields does not necessarily equate to using stiff language all the time.

Especially when the situation requires us to show more care or appreciation toward another person, we can always go with a warmer tone.

Example:

 

Times can be really tough; that’s part of life’s herbs and spices.

So, whenever someone shows their concern when we are in a negative town, it is suggested that we also respond in kind.

Here’s another way of using “thank you so much for your concern” in email writing:

Example:

 

Thank you for raising your concern

At other times, the word “concern” may also give out the meaning “worry” instead of “sympathy” or “thought.”

This is especially true in the expression “thank you for raising your concern,” which is common in professional settings.

When we say “thank you for raising your concern,” it likely means that a complaint or request could have been brought up for some reason.

Hence, using “thank you for raising your concern” is a good response to when someone for our help in dealing with some issues.

Example:

 

“Thank you for raising your concern” may also be used when someone puts forward an issue anonymously.

At times, companies allow raising internal issues anonymously so that people can be more comfortable with their queries.

 

Here’s another example using the explained expression:

 

Alternatives in the informal register

The informal register refers to the discourse that conveniently uses slang and jargon expressions, interjections, contractions, dangling prepositions, and so on.

This style is prevalent among interlocutors whose relationship is intimate rather than business-like.

It marks the special bond shared by peers and family members alike

 

Thanks for looking out

People sharing deep interpersonal relationships are sensitive to the needs and feelings of each other.

Keeping an eye or looking out for one another is indicative of an established bond, thereby prompting the use of expressions of empathy when one is in trouble.

“Thanks for looking out” is another casual way of saying “thank you for your concern” which is more likely used between or among friends.

So, if the message recipient is a close friend rather than a superior, “thanks for looking out” should come across as more appropriate and sincere.

 

Thanks for checking in

Another similar expression that can be used in acknowledging even a simple act of asking how a person is doing is “thank you for checking in.”

To “check in” is an informal phrasal verb that means one has crossed the mind of another person and that person wants to express it by sending a message.

Similar to “thanks for checking in” is “Thank you for checking on me” which can be used in the formal register instead.

 

Thanks for the concern

A great way to reduce the formality level of “Thank you for your concern” is by using “thanks for the concern.”

This expression may be a bit impassive because of the article “the”; this makes the referencing to the word “concern” quite emotionally distant.

“Thanks for the concern” may work well with those people who we are not necessarily emotionally attached with.

However, these people may have likely dedicated some amount of time to ask how we are or if everything is working out fine.

Let’s say, you have a colleague from another department who sent you a personal message of concern after some bad circumstances.

Example:

 

Another possible case where “thanks for the concern” would be fitting is when our doctor sends us a follow-up message.

Apparently, we should make our message a bit more detailed when reporting about our health to a doctor.

That way, he or she will have more context of the situation, as shown in the next email sample:

Example:

 

Thanks for your concern

Warmer than “Thanks for the concern” is “thanks for your concern.” This means we have simply changed “the” to “your.”

Despite this trivial word shift, a different implication is brought by using “thanks for your concern.”

This expression creates a warmer feeling compared to when we only refer to the word concern using a definite article.

The use of the determiner “your” replaces that emotionless connotation with warmth and tenderness.

It tells the reader that you appreciate the gesture or behavior that they decided to show to you.

When something bad all of a sudden, some people may choose to express sympathy or concern toward us.

This kind of situation deserves a warm response to reciprocate the act of concern being shown.

Here’s an example to make the explanation clearer:

Example:

 

When something bad happens all of a sudden, some people, especially those we have formed a close bond with, try to take action by showing their concern.

That said, we had better know how to appropriately respond so we could be in sync with the other person.

Here’s another example to show that:

Example:

 

Incorrect alternatives for “thank you for your concern”

 

Thanks for concern

Avoid using “thanks for concern” because, although it does make sense to most people, it is grammatically incomplete.

We could either say “thanks for your concern” or “thanks for the concern” but not without “the” or “your.”

 

Thanks to your concern

Another commonly misused variation of “thank you for your concern” is “thanks to your concern.”

Likewise, it is best to avoid “thanks to your concern” because of the incorrect preposition usage in this expression.

What we need instead is the preposition “for” and not “to” to make this one right.

 

Thank you for concern

Last but not least, “thank you for concern” is also something we have to steer clear of.

This expression lacks a determiner before “concern,” making it grammatically incomplete.

We can either say “thank you for your concern” or “thank you for the concern” instead but not without “your” or “the.”

 

Unless we are in a hurry for some reason, perhaps, like we are doing a quick search online that we only need keywords, let us keep the expressions above at an arm’s length.

Doing so will make our written work more accurate and, therefore, professional-looking.

 

Frequently Asked Questions on “Thank you for your concern”

 

What is the meaning of “thank you for concern”?

“Thank you for concern” is a grammatically-incomplete and misused variation of either “thank you for your concern” or “thank you for the concern.” This expression lacks a determiner within the prepositional phrase headed by “for.” 

 

What is the meaning of “thanks for your concern”?

“Thanks for your concern” is a warmer variation of “thank you for your concern.” In general, replacing “thank you” with “thanks” reduces the formality level of expressions, making “thanks for your concern” more suitable for those we are emotionally connected with.

 

Conclusion

Expressing gratitude through words elucidates good manners, which is important in both professional and casual relationships.

It essentially means showing reciprocity to another person who is paying attention to the circumstances affecting someone’s life.

Thus, the expressions listed in this article are some examples of the building blocks of social relationships that dictate human civilization.