This is the second of three blogs dedicated to Style and Tech Writing. We’ve moved past the basics to focus on two other important elements in this course: plain language and tone of voice.

What did you read or watch that surprised, delighted, or disappointed you? Why?

For the last couple modules, I was most “delighted” by the four scales of tone of voice: funny vs. serious, formal vs. casual, respectful vs. irreverent, and enthusiastic vs. matter of fact. In the lecture, it was entertaining to watch each content example be adjusted in different ways and how simple adjustments would change its formality, seriousness, and so on. I know some of these tricks already, like using contractions to increase casualness, but far more goes into tweaking tone of voice. “Let’s dive in” is more amusing and casual than “start here.” Both mean the same thing, more or less, but word choice makes a big difference.

How did the material influence your approach to graded work in the course? Explain.

The module and assignments over tone of voice have been the easiest to understand and apply, in my personal experience. Reviewing peers’ work with the help of AI and my own understanding of the material came fairly naturally.

What was most meaningful for your own career goals? Why? (If you cannot easily address your career goals, answer based on your course goals.)

I’m always trying to come up with ways to make the training I write more enjoyable and engaging. I use phrases like “Let’s get started!” or “Take a moment to X, Y, Z.” This helps soften the fairly dry and technical information I try to teach learners. I have been thinking about the tone of voice scale and trying to strike an appropriate balance between casual and formal, serious and funny. While I am confined to a style guide, it’s been interesting to try to “grade” what I write on the tone of voice scales.