Content guidelines - Make your tone pitch perfect

How we use a consistent voice and an appropriate tone.

Applying a particular tone of voice on top of plain English is what makes us sound HS2.

Our tone of voice expresses our three HS2 personality traits:

• neighbourly;
• can-do; and
• visionary.

All neighbourly

three traits should always be present in our writing. But you should highlight a trait or put less emphasis on it – dial the traits up or down – depending on who you are talking to and what you want to achieve.

HS2 will affect millions of people – communities, businesses, stakeholders, the public... We need to write and speak in a down-to- earth way which demonstrates understanding, warmth, common sense and respect.

You should always:

• express your ideas in friendly terms not corporate language – so, use ‘we’ for ‘HS2 Ltd’ and ‘you’ for your audience;
• make sure you write for your audience, reflecting their knowledge and attitude; and
• demonstrate we always listen and respond – and aren’t afraid to acknowledge mistakes.
• Neighbourly writing shows empathy. 

Can-do

Using ‘can-do’ language shows that we’re confident in our abilities. We’ll do what we say we’ll do. It helps build trust, pride and belief in HS2.

You should always:

• demonstrate expertise by explaining complex issues simply, so they’re easy and quick to grasp;
• use unambiguous language and give details, so it’s clear who’s responsible for what, when;
• avoid jargon and explain any essential technical language (e.g. use of brackets, blow-out boxes, a glossary);
• make your sentences and paragraphs short; keep to the point and ask yourself: ‘Do people need to know this?’; and
• be honest – if we’re getting things wrong, tell people how we’re going to make it right. 

Visionary

Britain’s new high-speed railway is unparalleled in scope and ambition. It will transform the way we live and work and the way cities and towns connect. We should talk about it in a way that excites about the opportunities HS2 is delivering for everyone. (Remember – if you’re writing for affected communities, it’s important to be empathetic to the disruption they’re experiencing.)

Use your writing to demonstrate our visionary nature by:

• not just focusing on works and impact now, always including the bigger picture of benefits tomorrow;
• showing that we know individual places and care for their development;
• inspire pride in Britain – we’re building the nation’s future, levelling up the UK;
• using vibrant, dynamic language to look beyond today and talk about time and our legacy.