How to write for HSE digital services - Choosing the right tone

The right tone of voice helps us deliver a consistent digital experience for our users.

Tone

Tone is how our digital content feels or sounds.

Using the right tone helps us to:

  • deliver a consistent user experience
  • communicate clearly and respectfully
  • build trust with our users

Our tone types

  • Standard tone - for most digital content including the websites, app and services
  • Sensitive tone - for times when users may be particularly distressed
  • Personable tone - for when we want to be more upbeat or conversational

Standard tone

This is our core, everyday tone.

Our standard tone is:

  • neutral
  • trustworthy
  • calm
  • reassuring

In practice, this means we:

  • use plain language
  • address the reader directly as ‘you’
  • rely on proven facts and data
  • give clear and straightforward information - we do not omit important information

When to use our standard tone

Our standard tone works for most digital content.

Use our standard tone for:

  • most content on the public website - when it does not require extra sensitivity
  • most content in the HSE Health App
  • content on the corporate and staff websites
  • any content that requires a neutral approach

Examples of standard tone

What the HSE does, About.HSE.ie

We are Ireland’s public health and social care service. Our goal is to provide quality care and support to people at all stages of life.

Common condition, HSE.ie

A medical card gives you free access to public health services. You can apply for a medical card if you meet certain criteria.

Nosebleeds, HSE.ie

Nosebleeds are not usually a sign of anything serious. Anyone can get them, but they're most common in children. You can treat most nosebleeds at home.

Services update, HSE.ie

Visiting is restricted in some areas of the hospital. This is due to increased cases of flu.

Sensitive tone

This is the tone we use when our users may be particularly distressed.

Our sensitive tone is:

  • compassionate
  • empathetic
  • caring
  • practical

In practice, this means we:

  • acknowledge difficulty without being patronising
  • check the research to get a sense of how users feel
  • add extra information to acknowledge difficult feelings, where appropriate
  • keep user-evidenced emotions in mind
  • add extra reassurance where appropriate

When to use our sensitive tone

Times to use our sensitive tone include:

  • when users are likely to be particularly distressed, worried or afraid
  • content about serious, chronic or life-limiting illnesses
  • when sharing difficult news

Examples of sensitive tone

Coping with a cancer diagnosis, HSE.ie

Your cancer diagnosis might come as a shock. You may feel scared, sad, annoyed or you may be worried. This is understandable.

These feelings may last a short time or get easier to deal with as time goes on.

Give yourself time to process or come to terms with what has happened and what it means for you. Do not be hard on yourself.

Treatment for eating disorders, HSE.ie

You can recover from an eating disorder with treatment, but it may take time. Recovery will be different for everyone.

Support from family members can be very helpful for most people with eating disorders.

The specialist will talk to you about any support you might need and include this in your treatment plan.

Personable tone

This is the tone we use when it is appropriate to be encouraging, more upbeat or informal.

Our personable tone is:

  • conversational
  • personal
  • warm and approachable
  • friendly yet still professional

In practice, this means we:

  • are encouraging and motivating
  • highlight reasons to be positive
  • highlight reasons to be hopeful
  • are lighthearted, where appropriate

Never sound self-congratulatory or use spin - this damages trust.

Remember, we are still the national health service. We will not get too excited.

When to use our personable tone

Times to use our personable tone include:

  • some blog posts
  • some social media posts
  • some email campaigns
  • sharing good news
  • success messages
  • content that supports users to make a change
  • content that encourages engagement

Examples of personable tone

Be SunSmart, HSE Facebook post

You don't need to see the sun to be affected by this force of nature. UV radiation from the sun can damage skin even when it's cloudy.

Don't look back in anger, be SunSmart and bring your bucket hat to the Oasis concert.

Tips for travelling while pregnant, HSE Facebook post

Are you and your bump going on holidays this summer? Take a look at our guide for some things you may not have thought of, from flying later in pregnancy to checking your travel cover.

Deciding on a tone type

When writing most digital content, you can rely on our standard tone. Sometimes, either our sensitive or personable tone will be more appropriate.

Decide on tone early in your content project, after user research has been completed.

If you feel a shift from the standard tone may be required, take the following steps:

  • review your user needs
  • revisit any user research and feedback you have
  • consider the goals of the content - what do we need to help users with?
  • consult with other content designers or subject matter experts if needed
  • consider users’ circumstances and emotions
  • consider the digital channel

Sometimes we may use more than one tone type in a piece of content. For example, one paragraph of website content may require a sensitive tone, while most of the page works with the standard tone.

Make sure all team members have agreed on the tone to use before you start writing content.

Things to keep in mind

Tone is subtle and nuanced.

A newsreader uses one tone while delivering news of a serious crime. They use a different tone to share news of the national football team qualifying for the World Cup. They may show some excitement, but they still retain their newsreader persona.

The shift is subtle but important. If the newsreader were to smile while delivering news of the serious crime, we would not trust their judgement.

How we convey tone in written content is different but the same principle applies. We sound different on a webpage about a medical condition compared to a social media post announcing a new hospital.

Things to remember when deciding what tone to use:

  • tone in written content is different from tone when speaking - it is a one-way communication
  • we are writing for people at a broad population level
  • always rely on research and evidence to help you choose a tone
  • always decide on tone as a team