Our Voice and Tone:
Trusted Friend
Our voice is a bridge between us and our audience. It encompasses the characteristics you’d expect to find in a trusted friend, such as courageous honesty, devotion, approachability and optimism.
It is: conversational and warm but not chatty, informal and down-to-earth but not unprofessional, confident but not cocky or overstated, concise but not curt, helpful but not overbearing.
Our tone is how we use our voice in different situations. We adjust our tone according to who we’re talking to and what we’re talking about, but our voice remains the same. Some considerations when choosing a tone: your audience and their likely emotional state, purpose of the communication (annual report vs blog), and the content’s likely effect on the reader.
Say it this way
Use short, simple words and sentences:
- Give me a call.
Be concise without sacrificing clarity:
- After dinner and homework, there’s not time left in the day to think about the future.
Use contractions for informality:
- You’re right.
Choose first- and second-person pronouns:
- You won’t have to…
- We can help.
Avoid insurance jargon:
- Here’s what you pay…
Not this way
- Contact me for additional information.
- The demands on today’s families can make it difficult to map out a financial plan.
- You are correct.
- It is not necessary to…
- Mutual of Omaha can be of assistance.
- The premium for your policy is…