It’s what you say and how you say it.
CEO communications, like activity on social media, can make consumers and customers feel more connected to a brand, but some messages can have the opposite effect. These are the posts of communications’ experts nightmares.
At Highwire we know executive communication isn’t just what you say but also how you say it— and it makes all the difference.
Tone Mapping
Brands and executives need a well-defined point of view, a consistent voice and clear strategy for what and how they communicate information. Consider how messages could influence or make people feel about a company leader or brand. If the delivery is off, you miss a chance to resonate and engage with your target audience. At worst, you alienate them.
That’s why when working on executive communications programs, especially for social media, one of the most important exercises we do at Highwire is tone mapping.
According to Nielsen Norman Group, there are four dimensions of tone of voice that people notice: humor, formality, respectfulness and enthusiasm.
To illustrate this idea, let’s look at a tonal map of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Musk’s posts are generally perceived as more casual and humorous while Bezos’s posts are perceived as more serious, respectful and formal.
Now, let’s take a look at two other examples. One is from a healthcare firm and the other is from an enterprise technology firm. In developing the tones for these two executives it was critical to understand who their target audience was and how their messages needed to be perceived in order to be successful.
Healthcare
“Peter,” a healthcare leader, needed to stand out among peers and communicate a clear perspective about the future of healthcare to the larger healthcare ecosystem. It was critical for him to be perceived as trusted — someone who provides factual information.
In person, Peter comes across as serious but highly approachable. To make this come across in his written communications, we created a tone of voice that was slightly more casual to offset his seriousness but maintain his authority.
Enterprise Technology
“Rebecca,” Head of People for an enterprise technology company, has a casual yet respectful and enthusiastic tone. We helped her develop a tone of voice that is highly authentic to her style, relatable to the audiences she hopes to influence, and effective in delivering her point of view.
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Which tone is right for you?
Striking the right tone depends on three main factors: your brand, your content and your audiences.
Brand personality: If you’re a professional in a traditional or highly regulated institution, an overly enthusiastic and irreverent message might be out of character.- These industries often take on a formal tone - but as we saw with “Peter”, formal and serious can still be approachable and engaging
- Blogs are often more casual than bylines
- Academic papers tend to have a specific, very formal tone
- Social media rewards enthusiasm, approachability and irreverence
- What do you want them to know?
- How do you want them to feel?
- What do you want them to do?
Here is an example of the same message, but with different tones. Which one resonates best will depend on many of the factors we discussed above. Notice the slight differences in word choice. In example 1, the message is basic, straightforward and devoid of any emotion.
Example 2 is still straightforward, but acknowledges the inconvenience and offers an apology. With each example we see a less formal and less serious message. The trick is to find the message that resonates best with most of your intended audience.
Other factors that impact tone of voice, include where you are located, the type of product or service you offer and cultural differences — all of which we also take into consideration.
The value of the right tone of voice
We’ve developed tone of voice strategies for leaders across healthcare, security and enterprise tech, and for a range of roles, like marketing, HR, product, sales and the c-suite. We supplement the tonal map with an executive playbook that empowers clients to positively impact how their messages are received.
A well defined tone of voice sets you apart from your peers and creates deeper connections with your audience. To learn more about how to effectively build and use your tone, contact us.
