When Should You Use Miss, Mrs., or Ms.?

Imagine yourself in this setting:  you are a representative of a large multinational corporation that takes part in deals worth millions of dollars daily and offers a plethora of benefits most employees dream of.

Pretty attractive, isn’t it?

Add to that thoughtful career-oriented utopia – a scenario where you are tasked with dealing with a sales representative of an equally large and lucrative organization.

What are your first thoughts?

Many of us would feel a combination of both anxiousness and excitement about the prospect of being able to participate and earn the big bucks but, imagine the following:

You enter a conference room and sit alongside your assistant manager on the opposite side of a table given to you. An attractive woman comes inside and sits at the opposite side of the table.

The procedure is pretty standard and you keep a clear leveled head, you feel optimistic and confidently begin the introduction. When going halfway through the process and asking the woman for her name, something unexpected comes up.

She gives you a raised eyebrow and your assistant opens their mouth slightly, yet you still don’t know what is going on. This hypothetical situation would be what is called a “deal-breaker” for you have just made a misunderstanding that could leave a bad impression and jeopardize the entire deal.

That mistake is contained within introductions within the business world and social etiquette in general in almost equal measure.

Knowing when and how to make the correct choice of words can make or break a relationship of any kind, how does increasing the chances for a positive outcome sound to you?

FROM MISUNDERSTANDING TO ETIQUETTE

Now, let’s get real, this problem presented a source few regular confusions nowadays, but fear not, it is not a hard problem to get around and does have an abundance of benefits.

The issue is quite common and it can be a source of initial confusion but it is quite easy to get around it with an adequate introduction into its norms and how to correctly act on it.

The differences between these titles vary on factors that include age, the marital status of the woman, prior communication or lack of thereof and, most importantly, the tone you wish to set.

The correct usage of titles affords you respect and notice that will positively affect your career and private life, so listen up and get ready to unravel a problem that is present but often left aside.

We will cover the titles in detail with practical examples that you will most likely find yourselves in and can relate to in most cases.

The aforementioned titles were introduced into practical use for addressing women based on their marital status with the idea of respect that took into account their status.

A crucial rule you should abide by is to avoid making assumptions. We simply cannot stress enough the importance of, when unsure, asking the person how they wish to be referred to.

When getting ready to get into a negotiation or any sort of conversation that has a plethora of importance, simply asking the person their preference shows positive and empathetic qualities that are sure to earn surprise and appreciation that is rare in most formal and informal interactions.

THE CORE BASICS: HOW DO WE MAKE PROPER USE OF THE TERMS

Let’s get down to stating the differences between these three titles!

Miss has an easy requirement and is universally seen as a way to respectfully refer to younger women and has the possibility of adding a surname or something prominent about them.

In a business setting, this is usually avoided but can be utilized if you happen to know for sure that they aren’t in marriage and fit inside the relative age gap to be addressed that way.

In some cases, this even includes a way to address supervisors or women who have some sort of authority (usually in a career-oriented aspect)

It is primarily used by women who are not yet married and in the cases when you are talking to someone quite young, including an instance of referring a child in that way, say for example a little girl who has invited you over for a formal tea party with a couple of other quests!

The age group that the woman is categorized as is in her twenties or perhaps even younger. If you are ever in doubt, make sure to ask a woman her age just to make sure!

It can be used in a convenient way when you are using the title alongside a complete name or perhaps in a more informal setting, like when you are talking to a female cashier or clerk, as well as teachers.

In more practical settings, if the woman happens to be younger then you- miss is usually an acceptable title, but if she happens to be older- ma’am is the better option ( it shows respect as well)

So, to sum it up, it shows attentiveness when you address someone in a formal setting with this title when it is backed up by relevant knowledge about them, it shows you did your homework and that you know how to apply that in practice!

In an instance where you would happen to host a dinner party and invite an old friend for a fancy dinner and he walks in with a woman in hand, comes over and introduces her as his wife, this is where you would have heard the term “Mrs” used.

Mrs. is the most common and probably the most heard tittle we all used by now but it nevertheless tends to be misused.

In practice, two things need to occur for this title to be used appropriately.

-The woman changing her last name to her husband’s and being in a marriage

The exception in the aforementioned exits if the woman decides not to change her last name, and in that particular case she will be referred to as Ms.

It is important to mention that the term is sometimes used even by women who are not in marriage-like widows who prefer to keep using it.

In a business setting, It is highly recommended you stray away from using it unless you are sure that it fits the category the person is in.

If you are talking to a woman who happens to be above you, you can stick to using the formal title alongside the last name in the following example:

“Of course, I completely agree with your assessment, Mrs. Green”

The formal element can be dropped but, as a rule, exclusively when explicit permission is given out.

And now we get to the tie-breaker, the safest bet when you don’t know what to exactly to say, Ms. is the way to go!

It is interesting to note that the history of the said title itself had its first roots set in during the rise of the number of women getting into politics and businesses and certain social groups wanted to include this title, and for a good reason.

The title “ Mr ” used by men does not disclose the sometimes sensitive detail of their marital status, it is universally used for every man regardless if they are married, were married or simply never got into marriage, you could never tell.

Different social movements and the woman in question wanted a title that held similar benefits, thus in 1972 the usage of the title was officially documented and it’s application started.

Mostly used in the US and Britain, it quickly established itself as a universal term that does not disclose the marital status of women. If there is a woman’s equivalent to Mr, this would be it.

The woman we talked about that came as a business representative would most likely fit inside this category and it would not be far-fetched to use exactly this term when referring to.

The differences between the usage of each title are given out is categorized in different ways.

When you use Ms. you refer exclusively to an adult woman without getting into any of her details which she might want to keep out( which is why even married women sometimes stick to using it when they want the detail of marriage to be kept out in some instances)

As a default form of address that holds onto the function of a neutral marital honorific, it is the safest bet you have and, by some social etiquette writers, the most polite way to refer to a woman who you do not know much about or keep to a formal way of communication.

Imagine if you don’t know anything about this woman’s marital status, her personal life or anything else for that matter. It may sound like a big disadvantage at first, but in all actuality, it is not a big problem.

In case we have no clue in which way we can address the female we are talking to, It is a fantastic solution that has saved many people from potentially awkward situations.

This title is almost a de facto option that is a safe and preferred alternative in informal business circles when you are not on a first-name basis.

FORMALITY AND PROPER ETIQUETTE IN WRITTEN FORMS

When writing any sort of document to someone who we want to address with respect, we need to pick the right form that will contribute to the desired impression we want to leave.

When writing to an addressee who happens to be a man, we can always stick to using the standard title of Mr. and leaving it at that without having to look up any personal information.

In the case of women, we again have a problem of having to pick out what the correct title of addressing is appropriate

A viable option is presented with the use of the title “Ma’am” which is reserved for women we have already talked to and are older than us.

This is where we have a bit more control over the usage of our words. Screwing this part upsets a bad undertone to potentially the entirety of the planned conversation and can severely undermine its goal, but don’t worry, we can get past that in a light and precise manner.

In the context of writing a letter to a woman in a formal manner, we have the luxury of preparation and time on our side to gather relevant information about the person we are speaking to and use it to our advantage.

In the same story we mentioned before, you are given a task to write a specific proposition to a business representative for conducting a long-term agreement and, of course, you want to seem professional and formal to the letter, right?

We should start with the basics first and foremost and that includes gathering information about the person we are about to address.

Marital status indicates the manner from which we can designate or refer to the person in question, with another possibility and that is referring to their professional title.

By all means, I would recommend making an effort to getting in touch with people who know them personally and ask for what they usually like to be referred to as or finding this sort of information online if possible.

The honorific of Ms comes in handy once more and is a good option whenever you are in doubt how you should contact said person, but there is an even better alternative.

Taking into consideration the tone of the letter you wish to send, the professional title the person has set a clear positive message right of the start and is preferable, and has the added benefit of not referring to the gender of the recipient in case that is put into question.

Writing a letter to a professor who is of the female gender, the salutation is simple “ Dear professor “ and that is it, no doubts nor worries about having made a mistake.

The use of the first and last names is also an option but is viable for change depending on the reason you are writing to them and the levels of formality.

The exception to these rules applies in situations when you have a pre-existing relationship with the recipient in which case it is possible to avoid a very strict level of formality even in a serious setting by addressing them by their first name.

As a last note to this, it is always handy to double-check your spelling and punctuation, you would be amazed how easy it is to offend some people based on a simple mistake one-word mistake.

INTRODUCTION PROTOCOL IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SETTINGS

This is where the big test of your social skills comes into play, be it a situation where you are meeting a very important corporate representative or a new quest into your home, introductions are crucial.

Say you are about to head out to a restaurant to meet with a potential future business partner and the goal is to establish a fruitful exchange of information and set forward the basis of cooperation.

The introduction’s  tone largely depends on it’s the purpose when it serves a more formality- oriented purpose it abides by a strict code of conduct that will govern your conversation in a more predictable manner  ( titles such as Ms., Mrs.  alongside last names come into play)

This also includes situations when you are meeting someone who is above in the professional hierarchy than you, and

If, however, you are meeting on equal grounds and have common interests, it is entirely alright to stick to a more down to earth and more natural form of conversation, especially if both you and the person in question are on the same level.

In this hypothetical case, the aforementioned representative introduces herself first by offering her first name in which case you can respond predictably.

Keep in mind that in the case where the person in question offered their first name it does not disclose any personal information that can help you deduce what title is appropriate, and this is where certain rules come into play.

If the person you are meeting is comparable to you on a professional or social aspect, first name-calling without the use of titles or honorifics are entirely acceptable “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Jane”

In some cases, they will specify what they wish to be called “It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, I am Ms. James” which will set the default tone for the rest of the conversation in most cases.

Additionally, if the introduction is being offered first in a highly formal setting, titles are the preferred way to communicate at the initial stages before both sides decide on future actions.

Ms., even if used incorrectly, is a lot less likely to offend than the alternatives who have a higher potential to be used incorrectly because of the personal aspect they possess.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully, by now you’ve got a hand out of informal and formal etiquette. Yes, there’s informal etiquette too. You don’t want to sound too stuck up in a casual meeting that has a potential of developing connections.

On the other hand, you don’t want to be too loose with someone who expect you to adequately show respect.

Sometimes the grammar and modern uses of language collide so it’s helpful to revise an article like this one from time to time, just to make sure you still got the gist of it.