It’s Not What You Say — It’s How You Say It

When responding to a text or email, ?“K” — and even worse “K.” — can be interpreted completely differently than “okay.”

(Special note for the un-hip…the period changes everything.)

They may all literally say the same thing, but we all know they really mean something different. One means “got it” and the other means “I’m absolutely raging at you.” The small change from full word to single letter plus punctuation mark completely changes a word’s meaning.

Or does it? It could all depend on the person and their communication style, leaving you to interpret meaning into a single letter – or worse – to have to actually call to clarify.

The idea that small change can shift the whole meaning of a piece doesn’t only pertain to conversational writing.

Each organization has a specific voice that should be consistent throughout all materials. Developing and defining your tone and style are all part of a brand voice. Maintaining that voice helps to create a distinct and relatable personality for your organization. There may be variations for different audiences, but without creating a baseline, content becomes random rather than strategic.

Understanding what to consider and how to identify your brand voice will help streamline your content.

What to Consider

Style — Style is the way you write. It can be certain words you do and do not use — do you say “y’all”, “youse”, “yinz”, or “you guys”? Style also refers to the format of sentences and the reading level you write to. Crafting your style to be similar to the way your readers are used to speaking and writing helps you connect more deeply with your audience.

Tone — Tone is the emotion in your writing. Are you friendly casual, warm conversational, formal professional, wise academic, or something else entirely? Even your use of contractions or bolding and italics changes your tone. The tone you focus on in your writing conveys an underlying message to your audience telling them how to feel about your organization.

Identifying Your Voice

When you’re used to writing in one voice, it can be hard to identify what that voice is. One option is to send a sample to a colleague or an outside person to see how they would describe it. Depending on who you ask, though, they might not give you the most useful and descriptive answer.

If this is the case, it may be time to venture into the world of AI. Uploading a writing sample into a tool like ChatGPT, Claude, or Jasper, and asking for an analysis of the voice will give insight into the style and tone it picks up. If this style and tone is not what you’re hoping to convey through your voice, you can then ask the AI what adjustments you should make to get closer to the desired voice.

Developing a recognizable voice is essential for brand recognition and maintaining reputation. It’s part of the messaging (M) step in our AMIE brand focus process. Need help finding your voice? Email [email protected] to see how we can help.