Tone of voice

The tone of our writing conveys our personality. The personality of Minderoo Foundation is confident, informed, friendly, collaborative, direct, caring and energetic. Your copy should convey these qualities, too.

For external communications, use a first-person writing style – ie we/us/our – to make your writing more immediate, engaging and personal.

Confident

We’re assertive not arrogant so use clear and active language. (Don’t demand that our way is the only way.)

Informed

Our work is informed by evidence and facts so use case studies and examples to illustrate our research and source data wherever possible. (Don’t rely on anecdotal evidence.)

Conversational/friendly

We are accessible, engaged and welcome real conversations, so use simple language that is easily understood and examples that demonstrate human experiences. (Don’t use jargon or technical language, talk down to our audience or forget the people at the heart of the problems we tackle.)

Direct/straight to the point

We don’t sugar-coat the truth, so speak honestly and openly, and use clear language. (Don’t make accusations, don’t make it personal and don’t be rude.)

Empathetic/caring

We care deeply about issues, other people and our planet, so speak with empathy and share personal stories that demonstrate impact. (Don’t cast judgement on others or take a paternalistic approach.)

Lively/energetic

We want to achieve real change, so use strong verbs, be enthusiastic and optimistic, and champion change. (Don’t be lukewarm or use vague language.)