NOVA’S TONE OF VOICE

An institution’s voice, often referred to as tone of voice, is its point of view, its personality, its verbal signature. Institutions can present themselves as quirky, inspirational, authentic, sophisticated, academic, humorous, authoritative, streetwise, bold, professional, cultured, highbrow, or cheeky. Almost any tone of voice can be effective – the key is to be authentic.

For content creators, voice is the written or spoken expression of a brand. A college’s voice should remain consistent regardless of the medium – written, spoken word, video, photos or graphics. The challenge for any institution with countless people generating content is to stay within the guardrails of the established brand.

Why do we strive for consistency in our tone of voice? Because if we speak too formally or with too much academic jargon, we lose our audience. If we lack good humor and warmth, we lose our audience. And if we offer inconsistent, out of character, or confusing messages, we lose our audience. And if we lose our audience, we lose our way.