---
name: Tone of Voice
description: Consistent, authentic brand voice.
---
# Tone of Voice

Voice is the personality; tone is how it shifts by context. A consistent voice makes a brand recognizable across hundreds of writers and millions of words.

## Define the voice as choices
- **Formal ↔ casual.** "We regret to inform you" vs "sorry about that".
- **Serious ↔ playful.** Does the brand joke? When?
- **Respectful ↔ irreverent.** Towards whom?
- **Matter-of-fact ↔ lyrical.** Plain or ornamented.

Pick a position on each axis and give 2-3 examples of "we sound like this" and "we don't sound like this". Examples train writers far better than adjectives.

## Tone shifts by moment
The voice is constant; the tone flexes. A billing error is serious and apologetic even in a playful brand. The skill is knowing when to flex — and how far.