John Adair's 100 Greatest Ideas for Brilliant Communication

Idea 49: How to get the tone right

Courteous asking breaks down even city walls.

Ukrainian proverb

The Oxford English Dictionary defines tone as ‘a particular quality, pitch, modulation, or inflection of the voice expressing … affirmation, interrogation, hesitation, decision, or some feeling or emotion’. Business letters are more likely to be effective if they are written in a tone of courtesy. Watch out for the negative viruses that can so easily infect the tone of your letters.

Some negative elements of tone

Curtness	The virus of inordinate brevity communicates unconcern for your reader.
Sarcasm	Most people dislike being on the receiving end of this so-called form of wit, which ridicules by saying the opposite of what you mean.
Peevishness	Includes ...