Proper way to address a very small group that includes both sexes [closed]

What is the proper way to address a light email/message to a small group of 2-or-3 people, where the group includes both sexes? I normally just use the term "guys" as in "Hey guys" or "Good morning guys".

However, I'm wondering if I'm alienating the female(s) in the group. With a larger group, I would just use the term "all" as in "Good morning all", but that seems strange when I'm only writing to a couple of people.

Any alternatives?

Solution 1:

I have replaced "guys" and "you guys" with "everyone" in my day-to-day speech:

Hey, everyone, how's it going?

What is everyone up to this weekend?

Good morning, everyone. Today we are going to talk about gender-neutral substitutions in our everyday speech.

That's very similar to replacing "guys" with all or you all (or even y'all). If all or everyone seems too "big" for just two people, then you could substitute both.

How are you both doing this morning?

Solution 2:

You could try folks

Folks is many a politicians’ favored term for people. It’s class-neutral and gender-neutral. In a country that uses y’all, you guys, youse, and yinz, it is confidently American, but neighborhood-neutral. It is informal. It is cuddly. A politician represents his constituents. He thinks about the people. But he cares for folks — all you folks, including you there in the back.

Barack Obama: "We Tortured Some Folks"

Some people use folks when addressing a group of people in an informal way. This use is more common in American English than in British English.

That's all for tonight, folks.

They saw me drive out of town taking you folks up to McCaslin.

Collins COBUILD English Usage

Solution 3:

Everyone and all work well here for me. I frequently have to write such emails for a weekly social gathering, and both have served me well.

Hey, all!

Good morning all!

Hey everyone!

Good morning, everyone!

^{(Inconsistent commas slightly intentional: this is informal writing, after all.)}

In cases where all seems wrong because of the number of addressees, I've made it extra-informal by altering it to y’all, which makes it slightly humourous when sent to only two people…

Good morning y’all!

… or simply used no word at all, which is particularly justifiable as an informal written greeting:

Hey!

Good morning!

Solution 4:

Plumbing the arcane depths of the English language, I proffer hello:

Used as a greeting or to begin a telephone conversation

I have studied critical theory at post-graduate level and cannot think of any way that it could offend, marginalise or contribute to ideological constructs of gender oppression, and so could be deployed safely under the given circumstances.