Tone of voice

TONE OF VOICE

How we communicate

THE GRIFFITH STORY At Griffith, we celebrate, believe in and strive for the remarkable.

Established in 1971, Griffith is a relatively young university. In just four decades, we’ve grown from one campus and 451 students to become a comprehensive, multi-campus institution, with 50,000 students and over 200,000 graduates. Today, we are known for our high impact research, outstanding student experience, commitment to social justice and welcoming environment, and rank among the top three per cent of universities worldwide.

Our remarkable growth and development is underpinned by our commitment to make material contributions to our local, national and international communities.

Griffith was created to be a different kind of university, and we know that success often comes from being an exception to the norm—challenging convention, adapting and innovating, creating bold new trends and pioneering solutions ahead of their time.

Being a young university means we have the freedom to respect tradition without being restricted by it, which gives us the flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing needs of students, industry and the community.

Since we started teaching, we’ve been deeply connected to the Asian region, socially conscious and environmentally aware. We’ve never lost sight of our progressive beginnings and everything we do—from education to research and community engagement—is designed to not only meet, but improve the new world our students, graduates and communities will encounter.

We believe in the potential for all people to be remarkable—to be courageous, to capture opportunity, to make a difference and change the future forever.

Our vision is to engage in remarkable scholarship and research that contributes significantly to society.

BRAND PERSONALITY AND TONE OF VOICE Our tone of voice is how we express our story and establish stronger relationships with our audiences at every interaction. It is the outward expression of our personality. In many cases, it’s one of the only ways for our audiences to get an insight into, and an opportunity to relate to, who we are and what we do.

We

Engage in remarkable scholarship and research that contributes significantly to society

How

By creating educational experiences and by delivering research that exercises influence and has a meaningful, positive impact on individuals, communities and the world

Why

Because what we do materially shapes the future

REMARKABLE

We are Our brand pillars Our personality is Our voice is So people feel And therefore

Research impact

Social justice

Distinction

Accessibility

Quality

Curious

Contemplative

Courageous

Collaborative

Clever

Inquisitive

Considerate

Confident

Personal

Intelligent

Intrigued

Understood

Assured

Engaged

Inspired

Engage in remarkable scholarship and research that contributes significantly to society ™ BrandBrick is a registered trademark of The Brand Institute of Australia #1533577

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BRAND PERSONALITY TRAITS The Griffith brand has five personality traits, each producing a tone of voice characteristic.

Curious

Collaborative

We explore, question and challenge.

We are better together.

We are interested in exploring and understanding the world. We question and involve our audience in our journey of discovery by sharing interesting and relevant insights, inviting perspective and commentary along the way.

We are a diverse, yet unified team, working together across to solve some of the biggest challenges facing the world and provide our students with the best educational experience possible.

We communicate with one inclusive and inviting voice.

Contemplative We care and consider the experiences of others.

Clever

We consider who we are communicating with, why and the way in which we do it. We appeal to our audiences’ situations in life and carefully convey impactful meaning through our message and approach.

We apply ourselves to our work. We approach challenges as opportunities and with an open, optimistic mind.

We are changing the world.

Courageous We were created to be different.

We’re not afraid to challenge convention. Through our teaching and research, we aim make a material difference to the world. We believe in our work, role and value.

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TONE OF VOICE CHARACTERISTICS Our tone of voice shapes the way people relate to, and remember Griffith.

Inquisitive

Considerate

Confident

We’re interested in learning more about the world around us.

We want to find solutions to the biggest challenges facing the world, and we want to understand our audiences.

At the heart of Griffith is the desire to contribute significantly to society. This means understanding society, communities and individuals. We demonstrate our need to contribute through being considerate.

We activity seek to connect with people in an upbeat, positive way. Through the way we speak and write, we create a sense of comfort and assurance and an energised, yet considered, confidence.

Inquisitive means

Inquisitive doesn’t mean

Interested

Considerate means

Considerate doesn’t mean

Attentive

Obliging

Thoughtful

Overemotional

Compassionate

Concerned

Confident means

Confident doesn’t mean

Assertive

Authoritative

Positive

Arrogant or brash

Upbeat

Assumptive

Certain

Pushy

Nosy or intrusive

Perceptive

Speculative

Questioning

Puzzled

Outward looking

Head in the clouds

Personal

Intelligent

We’re known for our welcoming atmosphere. We are relatable and accessible, and aim to make our audiences feel respected and understood.

We draw on the vast knowledge of the Griffith community to share useful, insightful information with our audiences.

We know how to communicate with our different audiences, and understand what they want to know and when they want to know it.

Personal means

Personal doesn’t mean

Friendly and empathetic

Overly familiar or patronising

Inclusive

Intelligent means

Intelligent doesn’t mean

Individualistic

Astute

Superior

Open, honest and direct

Opinionated or blunt

Knowledgeable

Know-it-all

Accessible and relatable

Common or ordinary

Resourceful

Reserved or aloof

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WRITING IN THE GRIFFITH VOICE Every time you communicate on behalf of Griffith, reflect on our audience and our tone of voice. Think carefully about what you need to say and what your audience needs to hear. Our tone of voice is a guide to ensure there is a sense of familiarity for our diverse audiences at every interaction.

Style At Griffith, we write in plain English, using familiar, everyday words and an active voice. We avoid jargon or overly technical terms, and write short, simple sentences. While our writing is engaging and descriptive, it is also straightforward and concise, meeting the audience’s needs and making any recommended course of action clear.

Quick tips Do

Don’t

• lead with the most important information

• speak or write in a cluttered or confusing way

• use everyday, friendly language

• use jargon or language that can alienate people

• use punchy, short copy to attract and retain attention

• be verbose or long-winded

• be confident and engaging

• be overly familiar

• be honest and accurate

• use ‘uni-speak’ (internal terminology, acronyms and abbreviations)

• be sure and convincing

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Refer to the Griffith writing guide for detailed information about our writing style and conventions. The guide is available at griffith.edu.au/griffith-identity