Brand Voice

No matter what we communicate, our voice should always convey our brand’s values, a sense of curiosity and a genuine desire to share knowledge.

On this page

Tone

As a Faculty, our goal is to continually develop a bold, warm and inviting voice. We accomplish this by choosing words that inspire courage and excitement in our audience and avoid any exclusive or arrogant language.

Our voice does not keep people at a distance but instead, places them at the center of our message. While our audiences must clearly understand our professional perspective, they should also feel included in our process and inspired to share their own ideas.

We are

  • Professional
  • Inspiring
  • Warm
  • Bold

We are not

  • Arrogant
  • Distant
  • Authoritarian
  • Vague

Key UBC Writing Considerations

Be generous: Write for the readers

Imagine you are having a conversation. Does it feel like you are referring to yourself constantly? Turn the tables. Make it about the other person. Shorten the distance between you and the reader through inclusive language.

Speak directly: Keep it precise

Be confident, but avoid being boastful in your choice of language. Write to inform; make your point early in your communication piece. Write intelligently but keep your tone warm. Avoid jargon. Our language should be professional but not stilted.

Breath test: Read out loud

Any sentence you read should survive the breath test. If you find you are running out of breath, your sentence is too long. Writing is like music. Listen for how your words flow when you say them out loud.

Tell a story: Write to share

Anticipate how your audience will be consuming your words in today’s digital landscape. This will help you write more strategically for any given platform. Headlines in social media determine whether your content gets shared or not. Make them count.

Inspire: Be genuinely caring

At UBC, we care deeply about discoveries, teaching and connecting with our community. We want this to come through in our writing in a genuine way. Inspiring copy comes from focusing on how you care and why others should too. For this reason, we should place real people at the heart of all our stories.

Resources

For more details on UBC writing guidelines, visit UBC Brand writing guidelines