To help illustrate what we are trying to achieve – and trying to avoid – in terms of tone of voice, we have taken some typical examples of British Council writing and looked at them in the light of the guidelines we’ve just described.

The examples below were written before these guidelines were established.

THIS IS NOT OUR TONE

1 We called this a ‘Milestone Survey’, suggesting we wanted to see how far the project has already travelled and how much further it still has to go.

2 Our highly qualified teachers are constantly developing their teaching methodology and exploring the best ways to utilise new technology in order to optimise the learning experience.

3 This in turn meant that there was a need for more teachers of English as a foreign language and hence a demand for professional teacher trainers of English who were familiar with contemporary teaching methodologies such as new communicative teaching techniques.

These examples demonstrate very clearly what our tone is not. The use of jargon obscures the meaning and the text is dull, dry and pompous. The writers adopt a very wordy, complicated way to say something that is probably quite simple.

Good writing has to do with effective communication – your writing style has value only in the context of it being read and understood.

In none of the three examples do you get a sense of who is talking and to whom. The tone is not friendly or engaging, and we are not left with any positive response or feeling.

THIS IS ACCEPTABLE

Our work in education is the core of what we do. We are the UK education experts. Our counsellors help our customers access information about more than 450,000 UK courses on our Education UK website, and provide advice about courses, applications and student life in the UK.

One example of a piece of writing that doesn’t actively project the tone of voice that the British Council aspires to, but which is acceptable. It’s straightforward and authoritative, says what it means to say simply and clearly in just a few words. It has pace – the sentence length is varied. It makes a claim: ‘we are . . . education experts’, then backs it up with facts and information.

You won’t always be able to hit exactly the right tone. There will be times when you have a lot of information to convey and need to get it across as briefly and plainly as possible. The clear language and tone of this example is the minimum requirement.

THESE ARE MUCH BETTER

1 The British Council aims to connect people with the best learning opportunities and creative ideas from the UK. So whether you want to take an exam, improve your English, find out about studying in the UK or experience the best of its culture, this is the place to start.

2 We can measure your progress throughout the course with regular tests of your written and spoken English in class and as homework. This helps you to see what you’re doing well and where you need to focus. By talking to your teacher, you’ll be able to improve your English in a way that suits you. We call this continuous assessment.

3 Are you an artist, performer or arts practitioner who is interested in working across cultures? If you would like to find new audiences and partnerships, we can support you.

These three examples all have a number of things in common: they talk to you – they are confident, professional and authoritative, yet they are also lively, warm, friendly and enthusiastic – and they explain themselves simply and fluently, without being patronising. You are left with a sense of having had a dialogue with someone you like, or at least, someone who is trying to be helpful and give you the information you need.

They all hit the right tone. They each make a clear offer and the sentences fit together well and drive the 'story' along.

Download our latest style guide and editorial standards.