15 Tone of Voice Examples That Can Improve Your Messaging
Life is about more than what we say – it’s about how we say it. Think of the beloved television host Mister Rogers. His calming, dulcet tones raised a generation on empathy—teaching children and adults to treat one another with compassion. But, while his words mattered, it was also the tone in which he slowly and peacefully spoke that made his listeners feel warm and safe.
So how does that translate to your everyday communication? How can you leverage your tone of voice to be empathetic, assertive, or delighted? Our tips and examples below will paint a clear picture of how you can harness the power of tone to improve your writing.
What Exactly Is Tone of Voice?
Tone of voice is the way you speak – not what you say, but how you say it. Your tone of voice expresses how you feel about what you’re trying to say. How you feel and how you talk has a strong influence on how people perceive you. Whether in written or verbal communication, the words you choose and the way you say them can make a world of difference in what you’re attempting to communicate.
Tone of Voice In Written vs Verbal Communication
Tone of voice is the feeling that connects you to language. It’s important to note the tone difference between writing and speaking with your audience. As people, we make sense of tone of voice in writing through word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and the overall context. Unfortunately, that can be a bit difficult to pick up on in an email or in a Slack message.
With speech, you have more to work with: pitch, volume, cadence, pace. Plus, as people, we’re very visual – we communicate through our facial expressions, mannerisms, and gestures. In written communication, those cues aren’t as obvious. So you have to work a bit harder to ensure that you’re choosing the right words and placing the proper emphasis on specific phrases. Nothing wrong with that – it’s all a part of effective communication.
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How Does Tone Of Voice Affect Your Brand?
A brand’s tone of voice tells a company’s audience about its personality and values. The right tone of voice is key to your brand experience, which encompasses the feelings your company evokes among customers. The way a brand communicates trickles down into every interaction with its customers. For example, Trader Joe’s is known for its friendly, helpful staff willing to share snack suggestions. Tone of voice impacts consumer choice greatly. So much so, that people often rank brands based on their customer service.
Your brand’s tone of voice isn’t limited to customer service, advertisements, social media posts. It can guide internal communication, too. How you write memos, announcements, and other interdepartmental communication can be influenced by your brand voice guidelines.
What Is a Brand Tone of Voice Guideline?
A brand’s tone of voice is its identifiable personality when communicating with customers. Your company’s tone of voice guidelines are what you turn to when crafting emails and other messages on behalf of or within the organization. They show people how to write – and how not to write – on behalf of your company. It can be a standalone guide, or it may be part of a broader style guide for all your company’s branded assets.
A content style guide ensures that everyone who writes on your behalf stays on the same page regarding tone, sentence structure, and grammar. Your voice guide can also detail how to write on different platforms or in various circumstances. For example, maybe there’s more room for playful language on social media than in your website copy, which should be purely informational.
15 Types of Tone of Voice with Examples
Tone of voice is best demonstrated through examples. Here, we took a common request for files you may email to a coworker and rewrote it 15 times, each with a different tone of voice applied.
Authoritative
Direct, confident, and deliberate with word choice. The authoritative tone is easy to understand, though it’s sometimes criticized for being too abrupt.
Edgy
Cool and experimental, this edgy tone isn’t trying to impress anyone – it’s the Batman of styles.
Casual
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This tone of voice is laid-back, informal, personable, and conversational, like how you’d talk to a friend rather than a boss.
Confident
The confident tone is similar to the authoritative tone, but it isn’t necessarily coming from a place of higher rank. It’s just sure of itself.
Straightforward
This tone of voice example doesn’t mince words. It gets straight to the point, using the active rather than passive voice. There’s no room for guessing when using a straightforward tone, but it can feel a little rough around the edges.
Inspirational
Encouraging, reassuring, and passionate, this tone urges its audience to act through uplifting word choice instead of demands.
Friendly
This tone is clear, relatable, and positive without being overly bubbly, which can steer into condescending territory if not used carefully.
Formal
The formal tone is clear and thorough yet respectful. It implements proper writing and grammar, while steering clear of slang and exclamation points.
Quirky
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Eccentric and out of the box, the quirky style is fun and outrageous. It might even include an emoji or two.
Optimistic
Similar to the inspirational tone, the optimistic style is hopeful and positive. It’s all about looking forward to the future.
Example: “”
Humorous
Humor in writing can be a challenge since humor is subjective, but this tone of voice is usually playful and lighthearted.
Trendy
Modern and fresh, this style makes use of language that’s popular at the moment. It’s closely associated with a friendly or quirky tone in many cases.
Informative
An informative tone is instructive. It imparts wisdom and gets to the point.
Questioning
Often unsure of itself, you can almost hear the inflection at the end of a sentence with this tone of voice. That’s the case even if you’re writing a statement, not a question. In this case, it’s the opposite of a confident tone.
Joyful
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Exuberant and focused on positive emotions, this tone elicits warm, fuzzy feelings. Enthusiasm is encouraged!
Effective Brand Communication
Effectively expressing your brand’s tone of voice helps attract your target audience and reinforce your brand voice throughout your company. With the right words and use of tone, you can develop an emotional connection and build trust. Doing so is especially easy with Text Blaze’s snippets and dynamic templates. These templates keep certain phrases ready to go, so you can maintain a consistent tone of voice in all your written communications. They take the words from your head to the page – and then, out to the world.
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