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:

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