It is important to adapt our language to our audience; we should always aim to be confident, clear, practical, personal and engaging.

Confident

We have a world of experience and the capability to make a real difference. We can inspire confidence by demonstrating our knowledge and expertise. We should be upbeat and share our enthusiasm about what is possible and how we can achieve it.

Clear

We must show we are accountable and transparent by being precise and avoiding ambiguity. Whilst the services we run might be complex, we should keep the explanation straightforward.

Practical

We add value by finding new ways to improve service delivery. We can’t just claim to be innovative; we need to show it by sharing insights and ideas. We should avoid the theoretical and focus on explaining how we solve problems.

Personal

Great service is personal, so we must avoid sounding institutional or remote. We should talk to our customers not about them. Think ‘customers’ not ‘contracts’.

Engaging

We should focus on customers’ needs, not on what we want.