Tone of voice: what you say & how you say it.

When tone of voice (tov) is right, you often don’t even notice it. It’s language with just the right amount of personality to attract the right people. Usually it only smacks you round the face when it’s wrong.  

Why does tone matter?

The right tone attracts the right customer. It’s as simple as that. If you come across a company that feels immediately off-putting it doesn’t mean they’ve got it wrong (although they might have) They might just not be right for you, or vice versa. 

What tone is right for my organisation? 

Tone will be hugely shaped by your audience, sector and brand culture. It’s not easy to create a straightforward tone of voice toolkit for an organisation, but if you get it right, it’s a fantastic document to have. 

It’s worth remembering that there are parameters within specific sectors that might be hard to breach. For example, light-hearted law firms, carefree educators or fun-loving funeral directors might all be tricky to pull off.

How would tone of voice guidelines help me? 

How wouldn’t it?

If you’re the kind of person that shrivels a little bit inside when you see a crass all-staff memo, or an off-putting customer service message, you’d welcome a tone of voice toolkit with open arms! The correct tone, delivered consistently, binds everything you do with an invisible thread of credibility. It shows your customers and staff the way you roll, and what they can expect from you. 

What is a tone of voice toolkit & where can I use it?

A tone of voice toolkit is a practical guide to the type of words, language and ‘vibe’ that you want your organisation to run with. It can include guidelines and templates and there is literally no end to how far your organisation can use it. 

Here’s a few practical examples where tone matters:

Website

An obvious starting point. The shop window for many organisations. It’s the key place where people make a first judgement on what you’re like and whether you’re speaking the right language. 

Social media

It’s weird if your website and social channels aren’t on the same page. It gives people an immediate disconnect if they flip between the two and it’s feels different. 

Job adverts

Again, if the tone in your recruitment advertising doesn’t mirror your other communications it’s odd. A mismatch creates uncertainty, which puts people off.

Internal communications

Whatever tone you use on the outside should start from within. Intranet, internal memos and presentations should all feel part of the same ecosystem.

Customer service

The finest customer service communications are always shining examples of good tone. Who hasn’t felt a slight disconnect on the receiving end of an over-enthusiastic chat conversation relating to a trivial product issue? Perfectly polite … but just slightly off. 



If you’d like some help to find your true voice, I’d love to help.