National Deaf Children’s Society – Tone of Voice

Sometimes, clients come with a lot of the elements already in place. When I was approached by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), they were already on an exciting journey with their brand.

They had a clear strategic focus, rich audience insights, a compelling set of brand messages, and an exciting new visual look and feel. The final piece of the jigsaw was a rousing tone of voice to bind it all together.

It was a fascinating time to come on board.

When it comes to tone of voice, I always think of this quote from the poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou: “10% of conflict is due to difference of opinion; 90% is due to delivery and tone of voice”.

 It’s a powerful reminder of just how important it is to get tone right.

Working together

Working closely with the core project team, I reviewed all the work done so far and identified some broader sector trends in disability, hearing and children’s causes.

We then co-created a tone of voice workshop, where we invited stakeholders to consider a range of potential emotional registers for different NDCS messages and audiences. I took away all the material we generated and drafted some tonal areas for further exploration.

Then came the really collaborative part.

I worked closely with the client’s creative copywriter to develop the final tone of voice, including words, examples, and explanations. We had several open, productive conversations. We swapped ideas, exchanged feedback and pushed boundaries.

We ultimately adopted a distinctive, unconventional approach that we all agreed provided clear, focused guidance while capturing the multifaceted nature of the brand personality.

We secured the support of all key stakeholder groups and delivered several tone of voice training workshops across the organisation.

It was a highly creative, strategic, and collaborative process from start to finish. We also had a lot of fun. It was an absolute joy to work with Alicen, Michelle and the wider team. I’m also pleased I didn’t have time to miss them too much, as we’re already in conversation about the next project.

“Working with Richard on defining our new tone of voice was genuinely inspiring. His ability to listen deeply and spark ideas made the whole process feel like true co-creation. He brought out the best in Michelle and me, helping us shape a tone that’s bold, authentic, and uniquely ours. We're thrilled with what we've built together.”

Alicen Stenner, Brand Marketing Manager, NDCS.