LANGUAGE Our approach
Helping you hit the right note One of the most important elements of the BDO brand is our focus on simple, plainly spoken, down-to-earth honesty. As a result, our written communications should always convey a feeling of calm control and professionalism. It’s important that all of our clients, however many different BDO offices and people they communicate with, receive the same measured, reassuring note from all of us. It’s the BDO ‘tone of voice’. Think of the brands you love - shoes, restaurants, movies, magazines, football teams, chocolates, cars, clothes, games, hotels, websites, authors, breakfast cereals – whatever floats your boat. And now think about their communications style • how they ‘speak to you’ • the words they use • what their tone of voice is
Our language should reflect the way we work. So it should be: Accessible, down-to-earth and grounded - not complex, technical or pompous. Clear and plain-speaking - no jargon, no techspeak, no waffle, no buzzwords. Active, not passive - active verbs take responsibility (‘I’ve decided’, not ‘It has been decided’) and make things happen (‘we raised the funds’, not ‘the funds were raised’). Passionate - we’re not afraid to show a bit of attitude. Energetic - short words, short sentences, active verbs, conversational tone (‘we’re doing it’, not ‘implementation has been green-lighted’). Refreshing – try to avoid clichés, try to see things from a fresh perspective. Warm and personal - where possible, write in the first person (I or we) and address the reader as ‘you’ (rather than ‘clients’). Professional - factual, helpful and to-the-point (delete every paragraph, sentence and word that isn’t strictly relevant, and support claims with evidence). Direct and punchy - paragraphs should seldom exceed 40 words – Don’t use a long word where a short one will do (use ‘law’ instead of ‘legislation’) – Don’t include unnecessary words, especially at the start of a sentence. – Use single words rather than phrases (‘to’ instead of ‘in order to’).
…and most importantly of all • How they make you feel about them
That’s what we should be providing to our clients.
A consistent tone of voice is important for a brand. It makes us distinctive and unique. It makes us dependable and reliable. It makes us a firm that clients will come back to, time and again, confident that they know what kind of people we are.
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