When you explain Tone of Voice to a teenager, it helps you focus on what's important
‘She sends emails,’ said my son confidently to his teacher when asked about my job. This was in primary school.
He’s 14 now and recently showed a rare interest in what we actually do for a living when we were putting the ToVChampions website together.
‘What’s tone of voice, mi madre?’ He’s incapable of saying mum or mummy anymore – it implies a familiarity he’d rather not acknowledge.
I needed to tread carefully. Hungry teenage minds have been gastric-banded by social media to accept only the tiniest tasty bite-sized chunks of information.
I headed to safe ground. Make it all about him.
‘So, you know how if you were speaking to your teacher, you wouldn’t necessarily speak in the same way as you would with your friends? [pause for effect] That’s tone of voice.’
He looked thoughtful. Well, he was still looking at me rather than his phone, so I felt confident enough to push on.
‘Your "voice" doesn’t change – as in, you’re always "you" with the same character and values. But you instinctively adjust your tone according to who you’re talking to and the situation you’re in, so that you get along better with that person.’
His eyes were sliding south, but I’d come this far.
‘In an organisation, you’ve got lots of different people with their own character and values talking on behalf of the company. Chaos, basically. Unless your brand has got a strong voice that everybody’s really clear on and guidelines on tone for everyone to follow. Then it’s all… [sigh] Great! Dinner’s in half an hour.’
Can you explain your brand’s voice to a 14 year old? If not, we can help you find, or rediscover your voice. And how to use it to connect better with your audience. We can even run it through a tester for you.
ToVChampions.com
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