Your voice is always the same, but your tone changes depending on the situation. The same goes for Octopus.
Tone of voice
Here are examples showing how our tone of voice can change, from playful (used sparingly) to casual (which we use most often) and serious (which we sometimes use while still being conversational, positive, and approachable).
Here are three examples all appropriate for different scenarios:
Playful (this works for social media)
Don’t be a stranger if you’re at DATA:Scotland this Friday. Swing by expo stand 8 to say hello, grab a choccy biscuit, and snag some swag. And be sure to catch Sarah Lean’s talk about creating stand-out demos and presos in auditorium C at 9:30am.
Casual (this works for our newsletter)
Visit us at DATA:Scotland on Friday, a training conference focused on all things data. Drop by our stand and say hello for your chance to win some swag. You can also catch Sarah Lean’s talk about creating stand-out demos and presentations in auditorium C at 9:30am.
Serious (this works when we're being more formal)
The DATA:Scotland conference is being held Friday, September 2. You can find us at stand 8 where we’re giving away Octopus swag. Sarah Lean is giving a talk about creating stand-out demonstrations and presentations in auditorium C at 9:30am.
Error messages
Serious (this is often appropriate for an error message)
We’re sorry, but we’re experiencing a problem on our end.
Casual (this works if the error isn't anything too damaging or inconvenient, as we often use a casual and conversational tone at Octopus)
Oops! We’re sorry, but we’re experiencing a problem on our end.
Playful (we can be playful sometimes, but we wouldn't use the text in this example at Octopus, as it might not feel as helpful as we'd like to be)
What did you do!? You broke it! Just kidding. We’re experiencing a problem on our end.
(Source: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/tone-of-voice-dimensions/)
Active voice vs passive voice
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Active voice ✅ |
Passive voice ❌ |
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Kate deployed the app. |
The app was deployed by Kate. |
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You can purchase higher levels of support. |
Higher support levels can be purchased. |
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The product designers redesigned the user interface based on feedback. |
The user interface was redesigned by the product designers based on feedback. |
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Hundreds of employees visit the office every year. |
The office is visited by hundreds of employees every year. |
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The director will give you instructions. |
Instructions will be given to you by the director. |
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The team viewed the video. |
The video was viewed by the team. |