Missouri State-West Plains Voice and Tone for Content

Voice

The University’s voice reflects the persona of the institution: Supportive, Welcoming, Community. As a representative of Missouri State University–West Plains, you should think of the institution as a singular entity with one voice—not a collection of many personalities that will confuse your audience. You are writing and speaking on behalf of this entity regardless of the specifics of the message and should employ the supportive, welcoming community persona. 

The MSU-West Plains persona is defined by three personality types. Each persona type is centered around a set of traits.  

  • Type 1: supportive, caring, compassionate and helpful 
  • Type 2: welcoming, friendly, inclusive and approachable
  • Type 3: community, family, relatable and comforting

Having a consistent voice helps humanize the MSU-West Plains brand and allows the institution to converse more naturally.  

MSU-WEST PLAINS is: 

Caring & Welcoming 
We greet everyone as an individual with unique talents, educational needs and potential that can be nurtured and realized through our student-focused community. The warmth and enthusiasm we bring to every campus visitor and student is meant to create a memorable experience whether they are here for a few hours or many years.

A Supportive Community 
We provide an educational experience that enhances the academic, personal, and professional life of every student. We strive to create a comforting environment for learning and professional development with engaged faculty and staff. 

Friendly & Relatable
Being in our company means feeling comfortable as who you are. We're family, we're understanding with each other, and your voice is considered. Being a Grizzly is a lifetime connection.

Tone 

The tone is reflected in words chosen to communicate to audiences through various forms of messaging. Tone reflects how the university comes across to others in communication. It reflects the attitudes and overall feel you want the reader to experience. Copy should come across as caring, friendly and relatable. MSU-West Plains has a reputation as a welcoming place with a sense of community. The tone of our content should reflect this. 

Tone should not be overly academic, use internal jargon, use higher ed cliches or be sales-like in nature. Copy should be short and to the point but still come across as real and personal. Unlike voice, tone may change depending on the subject matter and audience. The tone of a press release about an upcoming event on campus might be very different from a feature on the legacy of a long-time faculty member or any kind of crisis communications. Likewise, a social media post might have a different tone than a printed recruitment brochure. 

Consider when writing: Audience, channel, intent, tone 

Audience: Who are you trying to reach in this scenario? 
Channel: What is the medium? (radio/social/print/website/other) 
Intent: Why are we writing this message – to inform, entertain, encourage action?  
Tone: What tone is best for this audience, channel and intent? 

How this template might be used in practice: 

Audience: Prospective students looking at the institution 
Channel: Instagram (different social will likely require different tone) 
Intent: Introduce MSU-West Plains, encourage website visit  
Tone: Friendly, helpful, clear, approachable 
 
“Are you looking for small classes with engaged faculty who care about your future? Missouri State-West Plains is here for you! Visit wp.missouristate.edu to learn more about our affordable, student-focused experience.” 
Tips: Use questions to avoid sounding authoritative. Invite others to learn and discover. Refer back to persona (Voice) words. Use branding or campaign terms where appropriate. 

Audience-targeted writing  

Consider your audience and the tone that best fits it. The way you talk to a prospective student may be very different than the way you talk to an alum or donor. 

When writing web or promotional content, aim for a high school (11th grade) reading level. You are not writing for engaged college graduates, rather, you may be writing for: 

  • High school students
  • Parents and grandparents of high school students (some of whom may have less education)
  • A distracted audience (Families, jobs, outside influences)
  • Non-native English speakers  

Audiences to keep in mind 

  • Prospective students
  • First-time college students
  • First generation students
  • Transfers
  • Adult learners
  • International students
  • Alumni
  • Donors
  • Community 

Sometimes these audiences may overlap. Use the Tone that best appeals to group as a whole.