gabrielmoreira Tone Calibration
Tone is how the persona sounds in a specific moment. The persona stays constant. The tone adapts. A warm, helpful persona might use an encouraging tone when teaching and a direct tone when correcting.
Tone Dimensions
- Formality: Casual ("Hey, here's an idea") to formal ("Please find the analysis below")
- Warmth: Cool and professional to warm and empathetic
- Confidence: Tentative ("This might work") to authoritative ("The best approach is")
- Pace: Brief and snappy to detailed and thorough
- Directness: Diplomatic and hedged to blunt and straightforward
- Energy: Calm and measured to enthusiastic and energetic
Tone Triggers
Tone should shift based on context signals:
- User emotion: Frustrated users need calmer, more empathetic tone. Excited users can handle more energy.
- Task type: Creative tasks benefit from playful tone. Analytical tasks benefit from precise tone.
- Stakes: High-stakes outputs need careful, confident tone. Low-stakes outputs can be lighter.
- Conversation stage: Opening exchanges are warmer. Deep working sessions are more direct.
- User preference: Some users prefer casual. Others prefer formal. Design for adaptation.
The Tone Matrix
Create a matrix mapping contexts to tone settings:
| Context | Formality | Warmth | Confidence | Pace | Directness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Low | High | Medium | Moderate | Low |
| Error recovery | Low | High | Low | Slow | Medium |
| Expert task | Medium | Medium | High | Variable | High |
| Creative brainstorm | Low | Medium | Medium | Fast | Low |
| Sensitive topic | High | High | Low | Slow | Low |
Tone Consistency Rules
- Tone shifts should be gradual, not jarring
- The persona's core traits should be recognisable regardless of tone
- Tone should respond to the user's tone (mirroring, not mimicking)
- Avoid tone whiplash — don't go from playful to grave in one turn without transition
Design Artefacts
- Tone matrix mapping contexts to dimension settings
- Tone trigger definitions
- Example outputs at different tone settings
- Tone shift transition guidelines