Professional Tone and Style

Your writing as a Digital Ambassador should have an appropriate tone and style that matches the purpose and the audience you are writing for. Use professional language that is courteous and respectful. You should avoid slang, jargon, or offensive language. 

Writing can have a tone of voice just like speaking. Consider the following tips for writing with a positive and professional tone of voice. They are helpful whether you are writing an email, a memo, or creating helpful hints for using technology:

• Be courteous and sincere, but not overly familiar.
• Be confident in what you are sharing and use data and facts to support your ideas. Avoid sharing opinions unless they are asked for.
• Avoid using flowery or verbose language. This isn't a creative writing class. Focus on getting your point across. Cut back on using adjectives unless they help to describe a situation clearly.
• Avoid biased, discriminatory, or stereotypical language or ideas. Write with respect for people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. If you don't know whether your writing is biased or includes stereotypes, share it with others for their reaction.
• Know your audience and write at a level they can comprehend. Your colleagues can understand technical jargon, but many of the people you will work with may not.
• Avoid humor, generally. Sometimes humor is acceptable when you know the person you are writing to very well. Written humor is often misunderstood.