How to find the Correct tone?

Key to Effective Communication- Tone

Choosing the right tone might be a daunting task. Ways to find the correct tone:

• Who are you writing for? 
  The target audience can help us in finding the appropriate tone as we write. Eg:- Letter to a business client may have a  formal tone while a holiday card for a friend has a playful & casual tone.
• What’s its purpose? 
  Finding the reason for writing. The purpose, like gaining from a prospective client’s business while on the other hand sending a close friend, a holiday greeting will see the use of different tones.
• What should be the reader’s takeaway? 
  Writing communicates an idea, topic, or other essential information which lets us think about what a recipient might like to learn, feel, or act after reading the writing. These give one a clearer sense of the types of tone that might be suitable for writing. 
• How choice of words supports tone?
  The choice of words that you write gives the reader tremendous clarity about its tone. Thus, connotations of the choice of words affect the tone & meaning of writing.

Every piece to read has a tone. Textbooks have an informative tone. Blogs come up with an engaging & conversational tone. A satirical piece has a humorous or ironic tone. The tone in literature is filled with a variety of moods, thoughts, & feelings that authors express in their works. While writing, we see a reflection of the author’s attitude or feelings about the subject matter & audience of the work. 

Tone words help us in expressing that attitude.