Tone of voice
Only when everyone understands the problems we face as a society can change really happen. What and how we say something has never been more important. Language is a powerful tool. It can empower and be a force for change, but it can also offend, marginalise, trivialise, and perpetuate harmful attitudes and stereotypes.
Why our tone of voice matters
Words matter. The way how they are spoken matters, too. The voice and tone. The rhythm and pace. The words not said. And in any communication, website or digital experience, there’s rarely anything that guides people in the right direction better than a well-crafted messaging.
The language of our sector
There’s a need to strike a balance between:
- Being friendly, supportive, helpful vs being cutting edge
- Being able to help with any digital challenge, big or small vs being tech specialist / experts (eg AI)
- Safe pair of hands vs creative, exciting
We’ve avoided words like ‘coding’ and ‘programming’ and used broader, more all encompassing words like ‘technology’ or ‘tech’ and ‘digital experience’ – experience being a particularly useful word as it includes the process of working with BrightMinded, as well as the end user’s experience of using the technology we create.
Our tone
BrightMinded’s tone is usually informal and approachable, but it’s always more important to be clear than entertaining. When you’re writing, consider the audience and what you want them to think and feel. Are they looking to be excited and wooed by a propsal? Are they confused and seeking our help with a support ticket? Once you have an idea of their emotional state, you can adjust your tone accordingly.
We want to sound confident, current, friendly, optimistic and clear. Here’s how we can do that:
Use language that’s informal and optimistic
Dream big, act fast, make things better. We believe in adopting resourceful start-up spirit so our writing should be positive, have pace and feel nimble. We need to make clear that we strive to stay receptive and flexible, adapting and acting on what we observe and hear. And that we work hard and smart to find the best way to get things done, even if it’s not the most obvious way.
Being confident, bold and brave
As a bunch of techies we can sometimes be a bit humble and overly modest. It’s also a very British thing. While this isn’t an issue, we’re also a multicultural, brilliant team who create some really amazing and ground-breaking digital experiences. We should be über proud of that. But if we don’t shout about our work, who else will? And if people don’t know about us, how we can we make the changes we want to see in our communities and the wider world?
We should try not to sound passive or too humble. And instead, we should always use confident language; things we create shouldn’t be just good or ok, they should be: brilliant; life-changing; mega; ground-breaking; exciting; exceptional; cutting-edge or even, the dogs you know what’s – well, maybe not quite that bold…
Showing that we’re experts
We’re a bunch of smart people and deep thinkers. We have heaps of experience, in software engineering, architecting, project management, and project delivery, allowing us to take on projects that might be way beyond the scope of other small development teams. We should be always be confident about our achievements and not shy away from being bold.
Think conversation, not technical. Like a trusted friend
When writing, we can sometimes fall back on some of our more formal or technical language. We don’t need to do this. In fact, using plain English in writing makes for a more engaging read for everyone (software engineers and technologist included) and helps more people understand the impact of our work. We want people to engage with technology, not to fear it and feel they can’t ask questions.
We know from experience, that software projects only succeed if the technical team communicate effectively with the non-technical stakeholders, and we’re good at this. We explain technical concepts and possibilities in ways that everyone can understand, and we grasp business requirements quickly, ensuring that the solution we create together meets your needs.
Be clear – say things in the simplest way possible
Think about the most important points you want to get across. The one or two things you want someone to understand or do. Make these stand out by saying them as clearly as you can and putting them right at the start of your communication.
Write like a human, not an AI bot
We try to give our writing a more personal, natural, human touch by using ‘we’ ‘you’, ‘us’ and ‘our’. This helps us sound like real people rather than a remote, impersonal bot. For example, rather than saying the client’s project, we might choose to say your project or [Client’s Name]’s project, or even, our project.
Style tips
Here are a few key elements of writing BrightMinded’s tone of voice. For more, see the writing style section.
- An active voice. Use active voice. Avoid passive voice.
- Avoid slang and jargon. Write in plain English.
- Write positively. Use positive, inspiring language rather than negative or passive language.