The ideal brand voice has to be supported by a range of tones that give it depth. Those tones allow it to adapt to different scenarios, just like our voices do — while remaining fundamentally the same.

When users are feeling confused or angry, be concise and honest:

• Choose short words — they feel calm and reassuring.
• Be direct, but not passive. Use "we made a mistake" instead of "a mistake was made." The latter feels defensive and deflects responsibility.
• Keep your sentence construction simple — one point per sentence and no qualifying clauses.
• Make your content even simpler than usual. Reading comprehension goes down when people experience anxiety — especially if they're reading in a second or third language.