Dead bodies and tone of voice

I used to be a special constable. It opened my eyes to loads of things – like how to get the right tone of voice when you’re dealing with a dead body.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t talking to the body. But I did have to talk to everyone else: like the regular officer who took charge of the incident, and the family of the lady who had sadly passed away.

Whether it was trying to sound confident and unfazed while I checked over a body under instruction, or being as practical and compassionate as I could for a family who were shocked and upset, tone of voice played a massive part in everything I did.

As individuals, we all change of our tone of voice depending on whatever situation we’re in. If it’s a tense situation, we can be the voice of reason to help diffuse a problem. If someone’s a bit panicky, we can reassure them with a calm and considered tone. No matter what the occasion, we’re all pretty tuned in to what the right tone of voice can do.

So why do so many companies struggle to create any tone other than a default ‘Business Friendly’? A simple, text-book English that your teacher would have liked back in the day, but no real person ever sounds like, ever, because it’s waaay too beige.

Want to lift someone’s spirits? Throw in some uplifting statements. Want to motivate them to do something? Tap into their emotions.

Words have the power to encourage, inspire, reassure and comfort. So why not try letting some real personality and tone into your communications – you might be surprised at what it could do.