How to Set Tone in Writing (Guide + Examples)
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 4:22 am
Imagine the situation. Your work week has just begun, when suddenly you receive two messages on Slack. The first is from your boss:
"Send me a meeting invitation. We need to talk."
The second message is from another manager:
"What's your schedule like today? I'd love to chat when you're free!"
Both messages say pretty much the same thing. So why does only the first mexico email list one fill you with dread? The answer is, of course, tone .
What is tone in writing?
img-semblog
In writing, tone is the implicit emotional message your text sends to the reader . You can convey different tones in your writing through your sentence structure, word choice, use of certain phrases, imagery, and more.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group , different types of tone can be measured along four dimensions: the level of formality, humor, enthusiasm, and respect. But what does this mean in practice?
Let's look at the above example more closely.
"Send me a meeting invitation. We need to talk."
The second message is from another manager:
"What's your schedule like today? I'd love to chat when you're free!"
Both messages say pretty much the same thing. So why does only the first mexico email list one fill you with dread? The answer is, of course, tone .
What is tone in writing?
img-semblog
In writing, tone is the implicit emotional message your text sends to the reader . You can convey different tones in your writing through your sentence structure, word choice, use of certain phrases, imagery, and more.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group , different types of tone can be measured along four dimensions: the level of formality, humor, enthusiasm, and respect. But what does this mean in practice?
Let's look at the above example more closely.