Our tone of voice

Our tone of voice is how we use language to communicate our personality.

Why is our tone of voice important?

We want to inspire people. We want them to feel confidence in us and trust us.

We know we’re an incredibly caring and warm organisation. So let’s show that every time we communicate.

As individuals, there’s a core to our personality that doesn’t change.  But we adapt how we speak from one situation to another.

• for campaigns, reports and bids, you can emphasise our energy
• when we give support and information, you probably want the dominant tone to be helpful
• if you’re talking to people like eventers, fundraisers and members of our Breathe Easy groups, you might want to sound warm

Checklist

To sound energetic

• use active rather than passive language
• keep your sentences to 15-20 words
• keep your language fresh – avoid clichés and jargon

To sound helpful

• use language your audience will understand
• tell people just what they need to know – no more, no less
• help key messages stand out

To sound warm

• use ‘you’, ‘we’ and ‘I’
• use contractions like ‘we’ll’
• use conversational words