I Look Forward To Talk To You: Complete Guide & Key Details
Let's talk about saying "I look forward to talking to you." It’s a phrase that pops up a lot. You see it in emails. You hear it on the phone. It's like a little sign-off that promises future chat. And honestly? I think we can all agree it's a bit of a polite placeholder. A verbal nod. A digital handshake. It’s the polite way of saying, "Okay, this conversation is done for now, but let's not pretend we're best buds planning a surprise party."
Think about it. You've just had a very… functional conversation. Maybe it was about that report that’s due. Or perhaps it was about when the office printer will finally stop making that weird grinding noise. The kind of talk where you exchange information. You tick boxes. You move on with your day. And then, like clockwork, it’s there: "I look forward to talking to you."
It’s not that I don’t look forward to talking to people. I do! I enjoy a good natter. A chinwag. A lively debate about the best type of biscuit for dunking (it’s a digestive, obviously. Don’t @ me). But when this phrase is deployed after a strictly business transaction, it feels… a little like putting on a fancy hat for a trip to the bin. It’s a bit much, you know?
It’s the polite way of saying, "Okay, this conversation is done for now, but let's not pretend we're best buds planning a surprise party."
Now, I know what you’re thinking. "But it’s polite!" And yes, yes it is. It's a beautifully crafted piece of social lubricant. It's the linguistic equivalent of offering someone a biscuit, even if you secretly hope they don't take the last one. It’s designed to smooth things over. To leave a good impression. To ensure that the next time you need to ask about the budget, the person on the other end doesn’t immediately remember you as the one who ended every interaction with a curt "Later."
But sometimes, just sometimes, I wish we could be a little more… honest. Imagine if, after a particularly grueling meeting about spreadsheets, someone said, "Well, that was… a discussion. Let's reconvene when our brains have unfrozen." Or after a phone call sorting out a minor billing issue: "Right, glad that's sorted. Let's not do that again for a while, shall we?" It would be refreshing! It would be real!
The key detail here is the future tense. "I look forward to." It's a commitment. A promise of connection. And in the fast-paced world of modern communication, where we’re bombarded with emails and notifications like confetti at a slightly chaotic wedding, that promise can feel… heavy. Are we really going to talk again? Or is this just a courteous way of closing the loop, never to be heard from again until the next crisis or the next invoice?
Let’s consider the alternative. What if we just said "Thanks" or "Bye"? revolutionary, I know. Or perhaps a simple, "Have a good day." This is a classic for a reason. It’s universally accepted. It’s pleasant. It doesn’t imply a future engagement you might not actually be looking forward to.
But then there’s the truly awkward scenario. You say "I look forward to talking to you," and the other person replies, "You too!" And you think, "Did I actually mean that? Did they actually mean that?" It's like a polite lie that’s been reciprocated. A shared delusion of impending conversation. It’s a testament to our collective desire to avoid awkward silences and to appear generally pleasant.
And what about the intensity of the "looking forward"? Is it a mild anticipation, like waiting for your toast to pop up? Or is it a fervent, almost desperate longing, like waiting for a lottery win? The phrase itself doesn't give us any clues. It's a one-size-fits-all approach to future communication enthusiasm.
My unpopular opinion? Sometimes, the most genuine thing to say is nothing more than a polite farewell. We don't need to pre-emptively book our next conversation unless it's actually scheduled. The world will keep turning. Emails will continue to arrive. And if a future conversation is genuinely desired or required, it will happen organically, or it will be scheduled. The pressure is off!
So, next time you find yourself typing or saying, "I look forward to talking to you," take a moment. Did you really mean it? Or are you just being… polite? There’s no shame in either, of course. It’s just an observation from someone who occasionally finds themselves politely looking forward to conversations they might actually be dreading a tiny bit.
It’s a shared delusion of impending conversation. It’s a testament to our collective desire to avoid awkward silences.
Perhaps we could introduce some nuance. "I look forward to discussing the Q3 projections with you on Friday." That’s specific. That’s actionable. Or, "It was nice chatting about your holiday plans. Enjoy the rest of your week!" See? Much more honest. Much less commitment-phobic.
But alas, the charm of "I look forward to talking to you" is its sheer ubiquity. It's the comfortable old sweater of conversational closers. It might not be the most exciting, but it gets the job done. And for that, I suppose, we should be… mildly appreciative.