Tone is the emotional or attitudinal quality conveyed by writing. For most websites, use a relaxed, friendly, conversational tone that makes visitors feel welcome and comfortable. section 1.6.4 section 4.2.1
Choose the tone by considering the website’s audience and purpose:
- Write as you normally speak with friends, allowing some informality in diction and grammar. section 4.2.1
- Use a more formal, serious tone for legal, banking, medical, or education sites that need to convey authority and reliability. section 4.2.1
- Pay special attention to the opening paragraph, which should welcome visitors and help them feel comfortable immediately. section 4.2.2
Turning a stiff introduction into a warmer one
A formal recipe-site opening says, “Prior to hopefully embarking on this project of effectively compiling recipes…” A conversational revision begins, “Before we started putting together these recipes for this site, we were pretty clueless in the kitchen!” The revision uses simpler words, direct address, informality, and a friendlier emotional connection. section 4.2.2
Use AI to refine tone without surrendering editorial judgment:
- Ask GPT-4o to identify language that is too formal or technical and replace it with informal wording. section 4.2
- Ask for shorter sentences, clearer wording, useful metaphors, and smoother transitions when those changes improve the draft. section 4.2
- In Copilot, select text, send it to Chat, and choose Revise; expect a paraphrase rather than a substantial tonal rewrite. section 4.2.3
Compare the available Copilot style settings while revising a selected paragraph for a more informal, conversational voice. section 4.2.3
