Engagement - Using the Appropriate Tone

Considering your audience is the key to good business writing and displays respect for your readers. Keep in mind that the way your writing sounds.

onsidering your audience is the key to good business writing and displays respect for your readers. Keep in mind that the way your writing sounds – its tone – is just as important as the content you include.

To remind yourself of the appropriate tone, ask yourself the following questions as you write:

1. Does the message in this document come across as confident?
2. Are there any places where the message sounds insecure?
3. Is the message positive?
4. Does the message emphasize benefits to the reader?
5. Does the message sound courteous?
6. Does the message sound condescending or stuffy?
7. Is the tone consistent throughout the message?
8. Have you taken the role of your reader into consideration?
9. Have you used a formal tone if you are writing to someone outside the organization?
10. Have you considered using a more informal or conversational tone if you are writing to a colleague?
11. Are you addressing a subordinate? If so, would using an authoritative tone be more appropriate?
12. Have you used an economical or direct tone if writing to a senior manager or executive?

It's important to use the appropriate tone in business correspondence.

Your overall tone should always be confident, conversational, positive, and courteous. But you also need to adapt your tone based on the role of the reader you're addressing.

Typically, a formal tone is appropriate for people outside your organization. It's appropriate to use an informal tone for colleagues and peers, an economical and direct tone for senior managers, and an authoritative tone for instructing or reprimanding subordinates.

I have been teaching and training agents, team leaders, supervisors, managers and admins of call centers and other businesses in BPO related fields. This series, comes as a result of that experience. I have more than 4,000 modules that I plan on sharing here. This is # 004-10