Our brand personality
We’re curious, courageous, welcoming and encouraging.
We have 3 tone of voice characteristics that work together to help us reflect our brand whenever we communicate:
Let’s take a closer look at each.
Straight talking
We’re refreshingly clear and direct.
Thoughtful
We’re people-focused and empathetic.
Encouraging
We always sound helpful and positive.
Straight talking
We welcome all girls, and everyone who wants to help girls discover they can do anything. So our communications are always accessible: clear, direct and to the point. We say what we mean using everyday language – and this openness builds trust and credibility.
We’re straight talking in all our communications - from social media to programme activities to governance papers.
Why this matters
Using simple, direct language that’s clear to our various audiences shows we’re open to all. It also shows we have the courage to speak plainly. When our messages are easy to follow, everyone can quickly find the information they need.
Sounding straight talking is about being:
• Easy to follow
• Open and honest
• Refreshingly clear and simple
We don’t take it too far. We never sound blunt, sloppy or too casual.
How to sound straight talking
• Use everyday language
• Get to the point
• Keep sentences short
• Use more verbs than nouns
Use everyday language
We always want to sound approachable, and for readers to feel like we’re talking directly to them. So we write like we’d speak when we’re being friendly and helpful. This means using everyday words instead of formal language and jargon.
Instead of this...
Guiding within the United Kingdom is organised into a number of geographical areas to provide support, lines of two-way communication and opportunities for young members, leaders and commissioners to make decisions and take responsibility.
We'd write...
We’re organised by area around the UK to give girls and volunteers easy access to support – and to help them have the best possible Girlguiding experience.
For more everyday alternatives, see this glossary of plain English.
Get to the point
Whatever our message, we get right to it – and focus on what matters most to our readers. For example, if we have a change in safety processes to announce to parents and carers, we explain clearly what’s changing and why and how it’ll help the young person they care for.
We also respect people’s time by being concise. This gives our writing clarity and confidence – and helps our messages come through at a glance. We make every word count – if it’s not adding anything to the message or the tone, delete it.
Instead of this...
If you are not sure how to proceed and need further advice on this, please contact your relevant case worker or HQ team who can advise on this.
We might say...
If you’re unsure about next steps, ask your case worker or the HQ team for help.
Less is more often
Simplicity is the key to understanding. Our 2021 tone of voice testing showed a unanimous preference for shorter, simpler communications. People said things like:
‘Brevity is key - most of us do this on top of full-time jobs and families so we need the minimum amount of comms.’ - Volunteer
‘You need to get to the point in less words.’ – Volunteer
‘It needs to be easy to read on my phone.’ – MP
Keep sentences short
Short, focused sentences will give your writing energy and clarity. Aim for no more than 15 to 20 words. Try to stick to 1 idea per sentence, as this helps keep the meaning crystal clear. And put the most important information first. Keep your paragraphs snappy, too: around 4 or 5 lines max. Varying the length of your sentences can help give your writing pace and rhythm. And the occasional short sentence can add impact. Like this.
Instead of this...
Appearance pressures through exposure to online adverts and images portraying perfection, are having a detrimental impact on the confidence and wellbeing of girls and young women – with many turning to apps and filters to seek acceptance, according to early findings of Girlguiding’s annual Girls’ Attitudes Survey, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
We might say...
Girls are feeling pressured about their appearance because of online adverts and images showing ‘perfection’. In our latest Girls’ Attitudes Survey, many told us they’re using apps and filters to help them feel more accepted and confident. This survey was supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Being straight talking when naming
A key part of making Girlguiding feel open and accessible to all, and especially people new to our organisation, is talking about projects and initiatives in simple and descriptive language. This means instead of coming up with names that are hard to unpick, like Space to Grow Together, we keep our project descriptions straightforward and clear.
So we might talk about our brand refresh project, for example, or talk about welcoming new volunteers.
We reserve creative names for unique initiatives and events that we can specifically market.
Use more verbs than nouns
Verbs (or ‘doing words’) inspire action – words like run, change and sign up. They have more energy than nouns like behaviour, consideration and analysis. And words like those often have verbs in them anyway: behave, consider, analyse. Your writing will sound more dynamic and confident if you go straight to the verb.
Instead of this...
Our strategy addresses how we can create exceptional experiences for girls and young women, and we will be bringing to life youth participation and continuing to develop our programme of activities to strengthen member experience.
We might say...
Our strategy explains how we’re going to create exceptional experiences for girls. We’ll inspire more young people to get involved and offer an even better programme of activities.
Thoughtful
We always begin by thinking about who we’re writing to. What do they already know and need to know? Where will they be reading our message and what mindset will they have? What do we want them to do, think or feel as a result? Then we plan and write communications that share the right information in accessible language, sounding natural and helpful.
This also means thinking about the best channels and formats to use to get our information across.
Why this matters
Taking the time to think about our readers helps us make sure our communications hit the spot, every time. And our focus on people helps us come across as warm and welcoming.
Sounding thoughtful is about being:
• Easy to follow
• Open and honest
• Refreshingly clear and simple
We take care to never come across as overly familiar, patronising or too wordy.
How to sound thoughtful:
• Put people first
• Acknowledge why things matter using warmth and empathy
• Help people find key information with good signposting
Put people first
We put people front and centre in our sentences by using active language instead of passive. Passive sentences avoid saying who’s responsible for doing something, and can sound vague, distant and evasive as a result.
Take this example: a toolkit has been developed…
The question is by who? It’s usually much more helpful and human to start with the answer to this question. So in this case, we’d say: we’ve created a toolkit…
Always think about who the ‘doer’ is in a sentence and start with them. You’ll naturally use a lot more words like ‘you’, ‘we’ and ‘our’, which will help you sound more direct and personal. And being clear about who’s doing what helps us come across as more open and transparent.
So instead of...
Girlguiding values the differences that a diverse workforce brings and is committed to inclusivity, and to employing and supporting a diverse workforce. Applicants from all backgrounds are welcome.
We'd say...
We welcome and support people from all backgrounds here. It’s the diversity of our people that makes Girlguiding special.
Acknowledge why things matter using warmth and empathy
We show our readers we understand them by acknowledging what they’re likely to be thinking or feeling, where we can. But we’re careful not to make assumptions – it’s a fine balance. We also focus on the impact of what we’re talking about on our audience. For example, if we’re explaining a change in safety processes to parents and carers, we say how and why this is better for them and their young one.
Not only does this make it clear that we can see things from their point of view, it also helps us make sure we’re writing in a way that’s meaningful and appropriate to our audience.
So instead of this...
Girlguiding offers fun, challenge and adventure to our young members in the UK. We know that young people thrive in safe surroundings so Girlguiding takes the safety of girls and young women very seriously and has an excellent reputation for providing a safe environment for members to enjoy both indoor and outdoor activities.
We might say...
Safety is at the heart of everything we do. So you can rest easy knowing that when you wave your young one goodbye on her next camping trip or weekly unit meeting, she’s in safe hands.
Because we know that when girls feel safe, they feel brave enough to do things they never thought they could.
Help people find key information with good signposting
Think up front about the essential things you want your reader to know. Then make these stand out by putting them in places people will easily see them: at the starts of sentences and paragraphs – and in titles, headings, links and bullet point lists. If you’re writing something longer and more complicated, it’s also useful to ‘layer’ your information – moving from a summary of the key points through to more detail. This gives people the option to read to the level of detail they need. It also helps us keep our communications as accessible as possible for disabled people.
Instead of writing this...
Your unit’s trial invoice is now live. You have until noon on Tuesday 7 March to check it. If the number or names of the girls shown on your invoice is incorrect please amend their records on Go! or speak to your Commissioner if the volunteer records need changing. You’ll be able to view the updated invoice from 10am the following day and the official invoice will be ready for you to download from noon on Thursday 9 March.
We'd write something like this...
Your unit’s trial invoice is ready.
• Please check your invoice before noon on Tuesday 7 March.
• If you spot anything that needs correcting, either update the girls’ records on GO or talk to your commissioner about correcting volunteer details.
• You can recheck your corrected invoice any time from 10am the next day.
• Your official invoice will be ready to download at noon on Thursday 9 March.
Accessible linking
Avoid using link phrases like here, click here and find out more, which give no information at all to people scanning the links or to people using screen readers.
Links need to be clear and meaningful, showing in a short phrase where they’ll take people to. Not only does this help key info stand out, it makes links accessible.
Don't:
Our latest updates on Coronavirus and Girlguiding can be found here and should be checked regularly.
Do:
Please stay on top of our updates on Covid and Girlguiding.
Encouraging
Put simply, we help people do things. We support each other, whatever our role in Girlguiding. And most importantly, we encourage girls to be curious, courageous and know that they can do anything. So our communications are helpful and purposeful - written with an outcome in mind.
Sounding encouraging means sounding like real people when we write - like a good friend who’s with our girls and volunteers all the way. And it means using energetic, positive language to encourage people.
Why this matters
To inspire people to do things, our language needs to have clarity and energy. We are a youth brand, and we want to sound like one.
Sounding encouraging is about being:
• Positive
• Energetic
• Motivating
We don’t go too far and sound over the top or like we’re trying too hard. And we avoid just adding lots of exclamation marks.
How to sound encouraging
• Imagine it’s a conversation
• Be positive, where you can
• Show, don’t just tell
• Be playful (when the time is right)
Imagine it’s a conversation
We can only encourage people if we connect with them – and thinking about our writing as a conversation will help us do this. How might the other person feel about what you’re writing?
If they were sitting right in front of you, what would you say to encourage them? Write with this in mind.
Techniques for conversational writing:
• Choose everyday words (also part of being straight talking!)
• Use contractions (such as ‘don’t’ instead of ‘do not’ or ‘we’ll’ instead of ‘we will’) just like we do when we’re talking.
• Start sentences with ‘and’ or ‘but’ if it helps the flow of what you’re writing.
• Ask the occasional question to get people thinking and inspire them: ‘What’s your next adventure?’ ‘How will you rise to the challenge?’ And sometimes bring in the answer, too: ‘Not confident on a paddle board? Not a problem.’
• Address people directly with ‘you’ – and use people’s names where you can. We’re all in this together. Emails to volunteers, for example, shouldn’t feel like they’re coming from a taskmaster, but from a peer: ‘We’re getting in touch to see how you’re finding life as a Girlguiding volunteer. Anything we can do to help? Just let us know.’
Be positive where you can
We put things positively rather than negatively where we can. We point out benefits and positive outcomes where they exist. We celebrate wins, even tiny ones. And we always try to suggest a way forward – using calls to action to add energy and inspire people to get going.
Not only does this show we can see things from people’s point of view, but that there’s a positive purpose to our communications.
This means instead of writing…
You won’t be able to access GO until you’ve completed your initial member training.
We’d say…
As soon as you’ve done your training you can start using GO.
Show don’t tell
We always want to reflect and celebrate the fun, varied and inclusive experience of Girlguiding.
A great way to do this is to paint a picture of what Girlguiding is like – to use description and evocative language to make things specific and real for our audience. So instead of talking about something in the abstract, we give examples, tell stories and bring in the real voices of our girls and volunteers.
Instead of this…
Being a Guide is all about having the space to try new things. Through taking part in a range of different activities with girls their own age, Guides develop self-confidence and make lots of new friends.
We might write…
We run, slide, climb, row, walk, paddle, skip and whizz our way through challenging activities. We laugh all the way and encourage each other to keep on going, ignore the mud on our faces, and never mind which one of us capsizes the canoe or stumbles on the slack line.
Be playful (when the time is right)
We want to come across as real people when we communicate – authentic and likeable. This means sometimes showing the fun side of Girlguiding in our writing.
When it feels right, we can be a bit playful – perhaps adding a casual phrase, a story, or even a little humour. Don’t be afraid to have fun with your writing (as long as it’s appropriate). This helps us show the human side of the Girlguiding brand – and helps make our communications feel genuine and engaging.
For example...
2 techniques for playful writing
Get creative
Try metaphors, similes, alliteration and repetition.
Marshmallow moments by the fire. Sleepy smiles after a day well spent. We know your time’s precious, so no tedious training here. Just essential learning to help you level up and get the most out of your role.
Bring in the unexpected
We can put a smile on people’s faces by adding an original twist to a list: What can you expect on a Brownie holiday? Forest exploring, paddleboarding and pancake making on old bean tins.
Flexing for formal communications
Should I use the tone of voice for formal communications? Can it be tweaked? And what about when a named person is writing something? Find out more here!
Formal communications and our tone
Our words everywhere should consistently reflect Girlguiding’s personality - so it’s clear we’re a place where everyone is welcome. But when we’re writing more serious communications such as annual reports, policies or letters to decision makers, it’s easy to fall into using formal, complicated language and jargon. All in the belief it sounds more professional, and more likely to be taken seriously. But that’s not the case. Writing in that way can alienate your audience and make it harder to understand.
Here are some before and after examples of formal pieces of writing in our tone of voice.
It’s about sounding less like this:
Whilst trustees are responsible for Girlguiding’s strategy and direction, day-to-day operations are delegated to be carried our by our staff and volunteers.
And more like this:
Our trustees look after our strategy and direction, while our staff and volunteers take care of day-to-day operations.
Less like this:
Please note if you are a member of the Girlguiding pension scheme, there is an obligation for the employee to continue to contribute into the scheme during your Maternity Leave.
And more like this:
If you’re in our pension scheme, you will have to keep paying into your pension while you’re on maternity leave.
Flexing it
We don’t have to lose our personality for different kinds of communications. But we can flex it.
We always want to sound straight talking, thoughtful and encouraging. But in some situations, we can be flexible. You can do this by putting more emphasis on 1 or 2 of the characteristics while tuning down others:
A note on opinion pieces
If a piece of writing is written from a specific person - such as an introduction to a report signed by the CEO, or a welcome message from a named commissioner - then it should be written how that person speaks. It doesn’t need to match our tone of voice. But our house style should always be used, so we’re consistent with things like capitals and punctuation.