Two frameworks to define your tone and cut through the noise

Without a clear tone of voice, nobody will listen to you

• No Community
• No Consistency
• No Impact

Use these two frameworks to define your tone and cut through the noise

 

1) The tone slider

Start with this slider

Select a word on each line

This will give you an overview of your tone

Consider your:

• Type of business
• Position in the market

It’s important to note that you can leave some neutral if you want to lead with one or two key tones

Example.

If you were a classical lawyer you might want to lead with serious and matter-of-fact.

You could leave the other two on neutral.

 

2) Brand edges framework

This framework will add depth to your tone of voice.

Depth will make sure your tone is individual to you.

Making your brand more personal and easier to connect with.

This is fundamental to building trust.

 

Step 1

Start by brainstorming keywords around your tone.

Use the results from the slider to help you.

Try and get 10 to 15 words.

Then pick 3 or 4

 

Example.

If you wanted to lead with ‘casual’ a keyword might be ‘friendly’

 

Step 2

Take one of your keywords.

Next, put a word on either side of your keyword.

One very strong & one not strong enough.

This will give you more clarity.

 

Example – Not strong enough

Friendly is our keyword.

Not strong enough could be ‘welcoming’

We aren’t welcoming.

We are friendly.

Welcoming sounds like I am in a hotel lobby.

Not strong enough.

 

Example – Too strong

Too strong could be ‘chummy’.

Chummy is too much.

We’re not in the high school Glee club.

 

Putting it all together

On the left side, we have not strong enough.

In the middle, we have our keyword.

On the right side, we have too strong.

 

Welcoming | Friendly | Chummy

 

You can see friendly has a lot more meaning when we have the two words on either side.

Repeat this process for each of your keywords.

 

Bonus

To make this more actionable and easier to integrate into your process we can add more words.

Yes.

More words.

Take your keyword.

Make a list of words you like and dislike for each one.

 

Example.

Keyword: Friendly

 

Words we like:

• Open
• Warm
• Familiar

 

Words we don’t like:

• Angry
• Strict
• Harsh

This bonus exercise will add even more depth.

 

Depth of brand leads to a deeper connection with your audience.

Brands are like people, unique and interesting.

Brands need to be built bit by bit to ensure there is a connection with your audience on every level.

 

In Summary

Defining your tone will allow people to connect with you on a personal level.

• More trust
• More sales
• Growing Community

Use these tools to connect with your audience and cut through the noise.