Setting the Right Tone

Tone is a difficult thing because there is no "right" way to do it. The same thing can be interpreted differently by different people, which makes tone a subjective thing.

Take a look at the sentences below and classify the tones used according to your understanding:

You have to finish the project by the day after tomorrow. If you fail in doing so, we might lose the client and that will not be good for us!
The project completion deadline is the day after tomorrow; a failure in completing it might result in the loss of a client.
Richard, this client is important to us, and we cannot afford to lose this account. This project needs to be completed by the day after tomorrow; hence, we are assigning it to you. Please let us know if you want any further details.

All three statements are correct. The same thing is conveyed in three different tones, and it appeals to different people. Some might think the first sentence is too direct and even threatening to a certain degree, while others might just call it direct. Some people might call the second sentence stuffy and bureaucratic in language, while others will accept it as the right tone for business communication. The third paragraph by far will be the most acceptable to people; it is courteous and has positive overtones. It has a subliminal message: "Richard, we know only you have the ability to meet the deadline, and we are depending on you." It makes a person feel motivated and appreciated without losing the essential meaning: the importance of the project deadline.

Setting the right tone for any document is dependent upon an individual's ability to understand readers and fine-tune the communication according to their needs. Writing from the reader's point of view always helps. When deciding on the tone, choose one that is most appropriate to your reader. A good cue in deciding the tone is to evaluate the way a person's previous correspondence to you reads and base yours on the same tone.

The great American writer John Steinbeck said: " Your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person... a real person you know, or an imagined person -- and write to that one."

When you are writing the business document, keep the following things in mind:

Always be confident.
Be sincere.
Use appropriate words and avoid jargon.
Avoid discriminatory language.
Always stress the positives and the benefits for the reader.
Write in an active voice instead of a passive voice.
Be friendly but maintain an appropriate level of professionalism.
Be sensitive to cultural differences between you and your reader.
Use neutral job titles.
Avoid using masculine pronouns if addressing a mixed audience.
Use a neutral salutation if you do not know the gender of your reader.

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