Hello! 👋

Welcome to OHT's tone of voice guide.

This is a (fairly) brief overview of how we write. It’s for everyone in OHT, and it applies to all the writing we do, inside and out.

Every word matters 📖 The words we put on screen and paper are one of the most important ways we have of showing people what OHT stands for. Every word adds up to people’s perception of who we are.

And if the way we communicate confuses, frustrates or scares people, we can lose their hard-earned trust in seconds. It’s especially important when we’re dealing with sensitive subjects, difficult topics or technical stuff. So every word matters!

This isn’t a set of rules 📜 Good writing is empathetic. Thinking carefully about the people you’re writing to, and understanding how they feel and what they need from us, shouldn’t feel like a tick-box exercise – it should be something you put thought into every time. So if you’ve got a really good reason to veer off the path we’ve put here, go for it.

Plus, we don’t want everyone to write like a bunch of drones. OHT writing should have a family feel, like you can tell it’s come from people with the same values, but it shouldn’t feel like one person. Because it’s not, and that’s a bit weird.

You’re here because you’re smart, caring, thoughtful people. We trust you to do the right thing to help our users (and each other).

If you see a gap, tell us about it 🔍 Things change pretty fast around here. If there’s a topic we need to cover, or an example that needs updating, let someone know!