CEHD Voice and Tone
Smart but not exclusive
Clear but not blunt
Helpful but not patronizing
Structure the Content:
- Put the most important information in the first two paragraphs. That’s the section users are most likely to read. In journalism, this technique is called the “inverted pyramid.”
- Large chunks of text can overwhelm readers. Use subheads and bullet points; they provide clear narrative structure for readers in a hurry.
- Put information-carrying words at the beginning of the phrase, and use the active voice.
- Hemingway is a free web app that checks for readability, adverbs, sentence length, and passive voice. Copy and paste content in and run a check!
Be concise:
To keep content understandable, concise, and relevant, it should be:
- Specific
- Informative
- Clear and concise
- Brisk but not terse
- Incisive (friendliness can lead to a lack of precision and unnecessary words) but human (not something generated by a faceless machine)
- Serious but not pompous or emotionless—adjectives can be subjective and make the text sound more emotive and like spin
You should:
- Use contractions (such as can’t and won’t)
- Not let caveats dictate unwieldy grammar (for example, say You can rather than You may be able to)
- Use the language people are using
- Use short sentences. Check sentences with more than 25 words to see if you can split them for clarity.
Use plain language
- Never use “click here” as a link — language should describe what your reader will get if they click.
- King County’s word alternatives and phrase alternatives.
Style Guide References:
18F’s Content Guide: the backbone of our web writing best practices.
CEHD Style Guide: College-specific styles
UMN Style Manual: University-specific styles
Address the user: Use “you/your” whenever possible. When referring to the College, unit, or staff, use “we/our/us.”