Writing

Tone of voice

Healthy

Tone of voice isn't just about what we say—it's about how we say it. The four dimensions of tone of voice help further define our brand's communication style, while allowing for the flexibility needed to resonate in different contexts.

Four major factors that influence these scales:

1. Setting/Context
2. Audience
3. Goals
4. Content

Consider the who, what, where and why of the message, and adjust accordingly. These dimensions should always be considered as a set, not individually. So a message is never purely irreverent or serious. Rather, you might think of them as ingredients in a recipe for a certain tone—a recipe that can be tweaked to create a desired effect.

Funny ↔ Serious

A funny tone leans into humor, wit and lightheartedness, making content feel friendly and engaging.

A serious tone prioritizes authority, professionalism and expertise, making content feel trustworthy and thoughtful.

The Sprout Baseline

Sprout should tip the scales towards serious in most contexts, but there are contexts where humor is appropriate and welcomed i.e. social media, awareness campaigns, community-building, emails. See below for further guidance around humor.

Formal ↔ Casual

A formal tone feels structured, traditional and professional.

A casual tone feels more conversational, friendly and natural.

The Sprout Baseline

Sprout should tip the scales towards serious in most contexts, but there are contexts where humor is appropriate and welcomed i.e. social media, awareness campaigns, community-building, emails. See below for further guidance around humor.

Respectful ↔ Irreverent

A respectful tone is polite, considerate and professional.

An irreverent tone is bold, rebellious and unafraid to challenge ideas.

The Sprout Baseline

Our Pacesetter persona and voice should be pushing us more toward irreverent, but not so far that we wander into disrespectful territory. Avoid sarcasm and casual dismissal of others.

Enthusiastic ↔ Matter-of-fact

An enthusiastic tone includes words and phrases that evoke excitement, inspiration and passion.

A matter-of-fact tone prioritizes clear, direct communication that’s free from emotional embellishment.

The Sprout Baseline

Sprout sits closer to the middle on this one, relying mostly on the context of the message to dictate which direction we lean. Avoid forcing enthusiasm and overuse of exclamation points.

*What we mean by humor