Brand Personality
& Voice Guide

COACHING PRACTICE TOOLS

Define the personality and voice of your coaching brand
so every piece of content sounds like you - on purpose.

The Inconsistency Problem

Brand voice problems rarely surface as a coherent complaint. Instead, coaches notice that their LinkedIn posts do not sound like their website, which does not sound like how they speak on discovery calls, which does not sound like how they write emails. Individually, each piece may be fine. Collectively, they do not create a clear impression.

The issue is that most coaches write content from context, not from definition. On LinkedIn they write like LinkedIn. In emails they write like email. In their bios they write formally because bios are supposed to be formal. Without a defined voice, every platform pulls in a different direction and the cumulative effect is a brand that feels inconsistent rather than distinctive.

Brand personality is the deeper layer. It is what clients sense before they can explain why they feel comfortable - or uncomfortable - with you. Voice is what carries that personality into words. The two reinforce each other: getting clear on personality makes voice choices easier because they are no longer arbitrary preferences, they are expressions of something deliberate. The do/don't section is the most practical output. Use it as a reference before publishing anything.

How to Use This Worksheet

  1. Complete Section 1 (personality traits) before Section 2. Personality grounds the voice work.
  2. In Section 2, pick the voice characteristic that applies most consistently to your written content, not how you hope to write.
  3. Section 3 (tone guidelines) is often where coaches discover inconsistency - the work of naming a tone for each context is where the problem becomes visible.
  4. Section 4 (do/don't) is the working document. Keep it short and specific - three to five items per column is more useful than fifteen.
  5. The voice summary in Section 5 is the single sentence you can use to orient anyone writing for your brand, including yourself.
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Section 1: Brand Personality Traits

Select three to five traits that genuinely describe your brand:

Authoritative Warm Direct Playful Sophisticated Relatable Bold Calm Inspiring Practical Thought-provoking Empathetic Professional Conversational Expert Accessible Structured Challenging Supportive

Your selected traits:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

How your brand personality shows up (2-3 sentences):

Section 2: Voice Characteristics

Dimension Your Choice
Formality Academic   /   Professional   /   Conversational   /   Casual
Sentence length Short and punchy   /   Medium   /   Long and detailed   /   Mix
Jargon Never   /   Rarely   /   When audience knows it
Humor None   /   Dry   /   Warm   /   Playful
Perspective First person "I/we"   /   Third person   /   Both
What your voice is NOT (one thing you actively avoid):
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Section 3: Tone by Context

Tone is not fixed - it shifts with platform and purpose. Define yours:

Context Tone Description
Social media posts
Email newsletter
Website homepage
Service / sales pages
Discovery calls
Client sessions

Section 4: Do / Don't Examples

Words and phrases I use:
DO
DON'T
How I handle emotion in writing:
DO
DON'T

Section 5: Brand Voice Summary

Complete this sentence:

When my ideal client reads my content, they feel and they think .
My brand voice in one phrase:

Use this summary to orient any piece of content you write.

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Tandem Coaching Partners

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to unlock sustainable growth.

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