Tone of Voice provides an accurate analysis of the ‘personality’ of a communication.

Accurately matching the tone of voice of a communication to that of the audience is a fundamental part of establishing and building rapport. This ensures that the brand or product is most relevantly represented in a communication. With the Tone of Voice measure, it’s easy to accurately chart the style and tone of a communication’s elements.

How does it work?

Over the last fifty years the use of psychometric profiles to elicit and measure personality preferences has become well established. Psychometric testing has become a fundamental part of recruitment, embracing it as part of their process for getting the right people in the right job.Now, marketing departments are using psychometric principles to customise the audience experience. By applying psychometric profiling techniques the ESP Benchmark Instrument measures linguistic and visual components and identifies structures that are specific indicators of style, tone, personality and preference.

Clients can access audience and communication profiles and detailed evaluations of the visual and copy elements via the password protected administration section. Tests and variants can be measured and evaluated as part of pre-campaign testing.

The ‘tone-of-voice’ factors have at their core the four Myers-Briggs Personality preferences, which enable the audience rapport model to be directly compared against communication content so that the degree of engagement, motivation and response can be predicted. The ‘tone-of-voice’ factors are:

Internal v External

This measure is derived from Julian Rotter’s concept of “internal-external locus of control” which details how individuals perceive information and is one of the most studied variables in psychology. The Internal v External Profile determines the factors within a communication that direct its audience towards an internal or external state which provides a measure of the authority, confidence and belief of the communication.

Detailed v Abstract

Language can be at one extreme, general, vague and metaphorical and at the other detailed, specific and precise. By using the ‘Logical Levels of Learning’, based on the theories of Gregory Bateson the Detailed Abstract Profile measures the degree to which the communication either matches the audience profile or deviates from the UK average.

Rational v Empathetic

People gravitate towards brands that reflect their own personality. Communications that are more empathetic will be based on values and emotional clues will be perceived as more instinctive, caring, warm and friendly. At the other end of the spectrum are rational communications that are logical, practical and objective which could be perceived as dry, cold and reserved. The Rational Empathetic Profile provides the measurements to get the balance right.

Sequential v Spontaneous

The purpose of any communication is to motivate interest, desire or purchase. And it most successfully does this when the tone of your communications is attuned to the specific rapport preferences of your audience. Motivational preferences are either; sequential, planned and structured or impulsive, spontaneous and immediate. The motivational effect on an audience of a communication can be determined by the Sequential Spontaneous Profile.

Or imagine if you could elicit the tone of voice of your most successful (high rapport) communications and accurately replicate it in others. With the Tone of Voice Chart you can as each of these four measures are displayed in one simple to read chart on the ESP Dashboard.Tone of Voice is just one of the measures available as part of ESP’s Benchmark Instrument.For more information contact either Glyn Parry or Jim Brackin.