VOICEVOICE AND TONE GUIDELINES

A PASSION FOR SAVING LIVES

To make it easier for us to communicate with one voice and create content for the National Safety Council, we have developed this guide.

As champions of the world’s leading safety advocate, we are called to help, educate, inspire and persuade people to make safety a priority every day. Whether we’re promoting key initiatives, recruiting new members or working with volunteers, the stories we tell are our most powerful tools, because they are born out of our passion for saving lives and preventing injuries and illness.

This isn’t a book of rules; it’s an explanation of who we are, and how we express that through the stories we tell in making our world safer.

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WHY LANGUAGE MATTERS

In making our world safer, we must interact with people. We’re competing for their attention, their time, money and support of their organizations. We need to be clear about what sets the National Safety Council and our initiatives apart from others.

We communicate in the way we look, the stories we tell and the way we behave. Just as visual identity (logos, colors, style) helps define how the world sees us, our voice is crucial in expressing who we are and how we connect with people, be it colleagues, members, volunteers, partners or the general public. Together, identity and voice reinforce our brand.

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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

MAYA ANGELOU

OUR VOICEOur voice is the way we write and speak to the world around us – to our members, our volunteers, our customers, anyone who cares about saving lives. It’s as though NSC were a person.

• Who we are is defined by our vision and the big idea, or purpose that informs our priorities

• What we say is dictated by our principles, expressed in our work and our aspirations

• How we say things is informed by our personality.

These elements work together to create the NSC Voice.

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“Safety…is the right way to do things.”

ROBERT W. CAMPBELLSafety pioneer

1st NSC president1914

OUR VISIONA vision captures our overall direction in life, where we’re heading, where we want to be in the future. It’s our big, stretch goal.

OUR VISION…AS THE LEADING SAFETY ADVOCATE WE MAKE THE WORLD MEASURABLY SAFER

How does our vision sound? Our vision should be implied in the content we make, the work we do and the conversations we create. We don’t need to say it directly. It should be present in our daily decisions and actions and provide a clear focus for our efforts.

Use it as a compass when creating content. Ask, “will this help us realize our vision?”

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OUR BIG IDEAWhat’s the big idea, our purpose? A big idea is our reason for being. It’s why NSC is on the planet. It’s what’s different about us, packed into one short sentence that’s easy to understand and remember. It’s our one-liner.

Our Big Idea …WE EMPOWER, COLLABORATE AND INSPIRE TO KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE WHEREVER WE ARE..

08How does our big idea

sound? If we break our big idea down and explain each piece, it’s much easier to see how to bring it to life in the way we write and speak. Think of real scenarios and bring these elements into your communication where it’s relevant and useful.

WE - We work together as a team with our members, partners and volunteers towards making our world safer.

EMPOWER – We provoke informed ways of thinking and doing things and provide all our colleagues with the power to make change and enable a culture of safety.

COLLABORATE – We’re on a mission together, internally and with our members and partners. Everyone’s contribution helps bring power and realism to our goals.

INSPIRE – Inherent in our mission is to inspire others to make a positive impact saving lives and preventing unintentional injuries. This shows in what and how we communicate to the world.

KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE – In keeping with our core values, we ensure that our commitment to safety is person to person.

WHEREVER WE ARE – We believe in safety 24/7. Our commitment extends to safety at work, on the road, at home and in the community.

OUR PRINCIPLESWhat are our principles?These are beliefs that we hold dear and would stick to at all costs.

OUR PRINCIPLES:WE ARE …

DATA DRIVENCARINGLEADERSSOURCECATALYSTS

09How do these influence what we

say?Our principles inform what we say. They should come through in the content we create and the conversations we have.

How to express the principles?Use the principles to think about how we would describe what we stand for if our brand was a person.

Reflect on each of these words and try to think of examples in our work that demonstrate them. When you have to describe them to a persona (Kenneth, Cheryl, Rick, Shannon, the general public) how do the examples and the ways we talk about them shift? Each principle has nuance, and you’ll use them differently depending on the situation that calls for content.

OUR PRINCIPLESWE ARE

DATA DRIVEN

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What we meanOur content is grounded in evidence based work and promising practices. It’s objective, informed and we learn through research. Our programs and plans are strategic in nature and we build in metrics so that the results of our work are measurable.

What we don’t meanWhile we value analysis, we are not overly academic. Our knowledge, education and resources are as useable for our neighbors as they are for seasoned safety professionals.

How does “data driven” sound?Being data driven is imperative to us. It’s what informs us on best practices and processes. It’s also engrained in our culture. We always present the facts, but we make them actionable to the people who need to use them.

OUR PRINCIPLESWE ARE

CARING

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What we meanAs a safety leader we strive to be compassionate, empathetic, helpful and supportive. After all, we care deeply about keeping people safe from injury and illness. Every initiative we champion, each piece of research we conduct, all the education we promote serves to encourage safe behavior because people matter.

What we don’t meanWe’re not clinical. We care enough to vet the source material, processes and approaches to share actual best practices and promising methods. We are NOT trying to make safety easy; there is no shortcut to safety. We do our best to make it easier to keep people safe. How does “caring” sound?Caring means being useful, sincere. We tell stories of the human impact measured in lives saved.

OUR PRINCIPLESWE ARE

LEADERS

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What we meanCommitted to excellence by focusing on continuous improvement, we lead the charge for safety no matter where we are. We take on this difficult task, not out of profit – for we are a nonprofit – but because we have a vision of making our world safer and seek to inspire others to do the same.

What we don’t meanOur 100 year history speaks for itself. We’re not bigheaded or pompous; we have earned the right to call ourselves leaders and take on the responsibility that entails. We do not act alone. We collaborate with other leaders in business, labor and government to lead change.

How does “leader” sound?Our position as the leading safety advocate is something we hold dear. We celebrate our accolades and cheer on others to join us so, together, we can make a difference.

OUR PRINCIPLESWE ARE THE

the SOURCE

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What we meanAs the go-to resource for safety, we provide learning for people to become educated, trained and inspired. We’re a networking hub for people interested in strategic initiatives that can deepen their impact, create their legacy.

What we don’t meanWe aren’t exhaustive. We’re deliberate in the products, services and knowledge we provide and the activities we engage in. Yet as a knowledge center we connect deeply into industry to offer trusted help or referrals.

How does being the “source” sound?There’s a community aspect to the National Safety Council. Companies, groups and individuals collaborate and work with us to learn and act. We are the hub of that activity and support it while nurturing the curiosity of those interested in safety concerns.

OUR PRINCIPLESWE ARE

CATALYSTS

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What we meanAs a catalyst we bring people together and change people’s behavior toward safety. We work to ignite the fire of change, making our world safer. We focus on actionable change with an eye on emerging needs.

What we don’t meanWe’re not preachy or dogmatic. We offer words of encouragement and recognize safe behaviors widely.

How does “catalyst” sound?As catalysts – agents that provoke or speed significant change or action – we use language that helps us to spark a groundswell of action to achieve impact. It means we’re honest, succinct and demonstrate the benefits, while being motivating, inspired and driven.

OUR PERSONALITYWhat is personality?Personality traits inform how we express ourselves and how we do things.

OUR PERSONALITY IS:

PASSIONATEAPPROACHABLECLEARSMART

16How do these influence what we

say?Our personality guides how we talk, write and represent the National Safety Council in the content we create.

How to express the personality?If a person were passionate, approachable, clear and smart, how would they sound? What type of language would they use in their writing? How would they present an argument? Use the following pages to help inspire the content you create.

If we are passionate, we should sound passionate. Bring empathy to your language. Likewise, if we’re approachable, our language shouldn’t go over the heads of the people we hope to inspire. Don’t fall back on a data point or safety jargon. Remember, this is as much about the words we use as the content we hope to convey.

OUR PERSONALITYWE ARE

PASSIONATE

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What we meanWe are serious, steadfast, creative and inspiring. We are mission-driven.

What we don’t meanWe are not emotional or overly-dramatic. We are concerned with safety. We want to share our knowledge and change bad behaviors.

How does “passionate” sound?We celebrate and showcase our achievements and those of others. We take pride in our work and go all-out to get others involved. We aim to be the example we want others to follow. We acknowledge the change that needs to happen in the world. Let’s use all the research in our toolbox, coupled with our caring and commitment to let our passion show. We speak with authority as well as confidence. We know if we believe in our cause, others will, too.

OUR PERSONALITYWE ARE

APPROACHABLE

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What we meanWe are helpful, accessible, friendly, inviting and inclusive.

What we don’t meanWe are not wishy-washy or changeable. We will not bend on our core principles. Our strategy is based in facts and knowledge but our goal is understanding and adoption. We’re not here to be everyone’s “friend” and be liked, yet we wish to foster good relations and positive outcomes.

How does “approachable” sound?We’re open to collaboration, which we’ve practiced for 100 years. We view ourselves as a resource and we want to help others achieve success. We’re open to anyone who wants to help making our world safer. We’re like a good mentor – we want everyone to have the tools they need to do their best. We’ll go the extra mile, be in your corner and promote your accomplishments.

OUR PERSONALITYWE ARE

CLEAR

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What we meanOur communications are organized and concise. We make information uncomplicated, complete and presented in a professional way.

What we don’t meanWhile some aspects of safety can be complex, we don’t overproduce to impress nor oversimplify to the point of uselessness. Our aim is to communicate without jargon and in ways that make our information easy to use.

How does “clear” sound?It means that we don’t leave any room for doubt. When we have something to say, we say it articulately and we have a good reason for doing so. We present the facts, the risks and the benefits of an action quickly and in the most direct way possible. We want everyone to understand what we’re saying and what it means to them and their community.

OUR PERSONALITYWE ARE

SMART

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What we meanWe are knowledgeable and creative in motivating people to prevent unintentional injury, illness and death. We use research and facts to drive our thinking. We’re purposeful in what we say and do. As experts we share what we learn thoughtfully and memorably.

What we don’t meanWe are not rigid or arrogant. We do not use our expertise to boast but to shed light and inform.

How does “smart” sound?When we create content we want to ensure our point is seen as intelligible and practical. We want everyone to be smart. We want our facts and information to come from a place of authority yet still be easy to digest. That means we can use graphics and video when appropriate and prefer a direct, active voice.

Let us now speak with one NSC Voice.