Using a human voice (rather than an institutional one) is among the surest ways to stand out from the crowd, deliver a fresh-sounding message, and enhance your credibility. And that voice—personable, direct, empathetic—comes naturally to most of us; it’s the way we converse. So why don’t more organizations use it?
Robospeak Rules
For many organizations, the chief impediment to using a human voice is that they’re trying not to, for one or more of these reasons:
They believe that complex prose laden with buzzwords makes them sound credible. But that’s rarely the case, and it’s never true when communicating with nonexperts, who simply won’t understand the point of the communication.
They think using the same marketingspeak everyone else is using makes them sound cutting edge. But it really makes them sound like the same old, same old.
They worry that if they veer from the generic voice of their field, someone will find something objectionable in it. That’s probably true, but savvy organizations don’t market to everyone, and if a human voice is properly targeted, the humans meant to hear it will respond.
They fear that if they make direct statements, they’ll be held responsible. This is a sign that the organization can’t deliver on its marketing promises. When a direct statement makes them feel uncomfortable, organizations that care about credibility ratchet back the claim; they don’t rewrite for plausible deniability.
Finding a Human Voice
Communications that sound like a human wrote them tend to have one or more of these characteristics:
They are written by a human, as opposed to a committee of humans. Writing by committee is almost always lifeless. The more people you allow to change copy based on how they would write it, the more bland (or muddled) it becomes.
They are written for specific humans: A human voice is person to person, not person to general category. Show your audience that you know them—speak to their concerns and interests. And don’t be afraid to use you.
Humor: This is a challenge to do well, but if you have—or can hire—a writer who is genuinely witty, people will love you for it. See Daily Grist (www.grist.org) for a great example of serious issues treated with a sense of humor.
Everyday language: You don’t have to limit yourself to a Dick-and-Jane vocabulary, but pasting chunks of technical documents or reports into external communications is no way to engage outsiders. Again, think of your audience—if you were actually talking to someone in your target audience, how would you express the concept?
Keep these characteristics in mind when you plan and review content for your Web site or other communications, and you’ll be on your way to connecting with your target audience. First published in the January 2008 Words That Work.
