Glossary

Tone

Tone is the feeling the words give, such as friendly, formal or playful, apart from the facts they carry.

Tone is how something sounds, not what it says. 'Shop closes at 9' and 'We are open till 9 pm, come by any time' carry the same fact with different tones. One is plain, the other is warm. People notice tone instantly, and it shapes how they feel about your business.

For a chatbot, a good tone is friendly, simple and respectful. It should sound like your best staff member on a good day. It should not sound like a legal notice or a robot. Short sentences, everyday words and a little warmth go a long way, in any language.

On fad.fyi, you pick a tone for your fad in the Voice tab: Friendly, Professional, Playful or Concise. Your welcome message, tagline and Q&A answers add to the feel, because the fad repeats Q&A answers exactly as written. Whatever the tone, it replies in the visitor's language.