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UseRogue Tone of Voice Setting Guide

This guide explains how to use UseRogue’s tone settings to adjust your proposal writing style. These settings help you create clear, effective proposals for government evaluators.

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Understanding the Tone of Voice Settings

UseRogue’s Tone of Voice Settings help match your writing style to your organization’s voice and solicitation requirements. Here’s how each setting works:

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1. Grade Level (Scale: 1-14)

Description: This setting controls how complex your proposal language is, including sentence structure, vocabulary, and concept difficulty. It matches the educational level needed to understand the content.

Scale Explanation:

• 1-4: Very simple, elementary language suitable for young readers or basic communications
• 5-8: Middle school to early high school level, appropriate for general audience materials
• 9-12: Late high school to undergraduate level, suitable for professional documents
• 13-14: Graduate level, highly sophisticated language for technical or specialized audiences

Recommended Setting: For government proposals, use grade level 12-14. This shows technical expertise while staying clear and accessible. You can use industry terms and complex concepts without being overly academic.

Example:

• Grade Level 6: “We will make the software better and easier to use.”
• Grade Level 12: “Our team will implement iterative enhancements to optimize the software’s functionality and user interface, resulting in improved efficiency and user experience.”
• Grade Level 14: “Through the application of advanced algorithmic improvements and user-centric design principles, our team will effectuate a paradigm shift in the software’s operational efficacy and human-computer interaction modalities.”

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2. Active vs. Passive Voice (Scale: 1-10)

Description: This setting balances active and passive voice in your writing. Active voice (“We completed the project”) is direct and engaging. Passive voice (“The project was completed”) focuses on results and maintains objectivity.

Scale Explanation:

• 1-3: Heavily passive voice, emphasizing actions and results over actors
• 4-6: Balanced mix of active and passive, providing variety and flexibility in sentence structure
• 7-10: Predominantly active voice, creating a strong, direct, and engaging tone

Recommended Setting: Aim for 8-9 to maintain a strong, direct tone that emphasizes your company’s actions and capabilities. This range creates a confident, assertive voice that clearly communicates your organization’s ability to deliver results. It helps evaluators easily understand who is responsible for each action and outcome, enhancing the overall clarity and impact of your proposal.

Example:

• Passive (2): “The project milestones will be achieved according to the specified timeline.”
• Balanced (5): “Our team will achieve the project milestones, ensuring that each deliverable is completed on schedule.”
• Active (8): “Our experienced project management team will drive the achievement of all milestones, proactively managing resources to ensure on- time delivery of every project component.”

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3. Sentiment (Scale: 1-10)

Description: This setting adjusts how positive or negative your writing sounds through word choice and phrasing.

Scale Explanation:

• 1-3: Cautious, risk-focused tone that highlights challenges and potential issues
• 4-6: Neutral, balanced tone that presents information without strong emotional coloring
• 7-10: Optimistic, opportunity-focused tone that emphasizes positive outcomes and possibilities

Recommended Setting: Use 7-8 for most proposals. This shows confidence and professionalism while acknowledging challenges. It helps balance optimism with realistic assessment of project complexity.

Example:

• Sentiment 3: “Despite the numerous challenges inherent in this project, we will attempt to meet the stated goals.”
• Sentiment 5: “We understand the project’s complexities and have developed strategies to address both opportunities and challenges.”
• Sentiment 8: “We are confident in our ability to exceed project goals, leveraging our proven expertise to transform challenges into opportunities for innovation and exceptional performance.”

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4. Subjectivity vs. Objectivity (Scale: 1-10)

Description: This setting balances facts with opinions. It ranges from purely factual statements to expert interpretations based on experience.

Scale Explanation:

• 1-3: Highly objective, fact-focused language with minimal interpretation
• 4-6: Balanced mix of facts and informed opinions, providing context and analysis
• 7-10: More subjective, emphasizing expert opinions, interpretations, and evaluative statements

Recommended Setting: For government proposals, aim for 5-6 to maintain credibility while allowing for some persuasive language. This range allows you to present factual information about your capabilities and past performance, while also providing valuable insights and interpretations that demonstrate your expertise. It helps evaluators understand not just what you’ve done, but why your approach is effective.

Example:

• Objective (2): “Our company completed 15 similar projects in the past five years, each delivered on time and within budget.”
• Balanced (5): “Our track record of 15 successful similar projects in the past five years demonstrates our unparalleled expertise in this domain. We believe this experience uniquely positions us to exceed expectations on this project.”
• Subjective (8): “Our exceptional performance on 15 similar projects clearly establishes us as the industry leader, making us the ideal choice for this critical initiative.”

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5. Concreteness vs. Abstractness (Scale: 1-10)

Description: This setting balances specific details with general concepts. Concrete language uses clear examples, while abstract language focuses on theories and ideas.

Scale Explanation:

• 1-3: Highly abstract, focusing on concepts, theories, and overarching ideas
• 4-6: Balanced mix of concrete examples and abstract concepts
• 7-10: Very concrete, emphasizing specific details, examples, and tangible outcomes

Recommended Setting: Aim for 7-8 to provide clear, tangible examples and specifics that support your claims. This range ensures your proposal is grounded in concrete details and real-world examples, making it easier for evaluators to understand and appreciate your capabilities. It allows for some discussion of higher- level concepts while primarily focusing on specific, measurable outcomes and actions.

Example:

• Abstract (3): “We will leverage innovative methodologies to enhance operational paradigms.”
• Balanced (5): “Our approach combines cutting-edge technologies with proven project management techniques to improve operational efficiency.”
• Concrete (8): “We will increase operational efficiency by 30% within six months by implementing our proprietary AI-driven workflow optimization system, which has already yielded a 25% productivity boost in three similar government projects.”

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6. Complexity (Scale: 1-10)

Description: This setting controls writing complexity, including sentence structure, vocabulary, and concept density. It ranges from simple statements to detailed technical explanations.

Scale Explanation:

• 1-3: Simple, straightforward language with basic sentence structures and common vocabulary
• 4-6: Moderate complexity, incorporating some technical terms and varied sentence structures
• 7-10: Highly complex, sophisticated language with advanced vocabulary and intricate sentence structures

Recommended Setting: Use 7-8 for government proposals. This level lets you show technical expertise while keeping content clear and accessible. You can use industry terms while maintaining readability.

Example:

• Complexity 3: “We will use good project management to finish on time and within budget.”
• Complexity 6: “Our proven project management methodology ensures timely completion and cost-effectiveness through careful planning and risk mitigation strategies.”
• Complexity 8: “Our proprietary agile project management framework, underpinned by advanced predictive analytics and real-time resource optimization algorithms, facilitates proactive risk mitigation and enables dynamic resource allocation. This approach consistently yields on-time, within-budget project delivery while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to evolving requirements and unforeseen challenges.”

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Diagnosing and Fixing Common Problems

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Situation 1: Generic, Uninspiring Content

Problem: Generic content that doesn’t stand out.

Fix:

1. Concreteness: 8-9
2. Active Voice: 8-10
3. Grade Level: 13-14
4. Complexity: 7-8
5. Sentiment: 7-8
6. Subjectivity: 5-6
7. Use Snippets Library for proven content
8. Use Rogue Chat for unique selling points

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Situation 2: Overly Complex, Hard-to-Read Proposals

Problem: Hard-to-read, complex language.

Fix:

1. Grade Level: 11-12
2. Complexity: 6-7
3. Concreteness: 8-9
4. Active Voice: 8-9
5. Sentiment: 7-8
6. Subjectivity: 4-5
7. Use Dynamic Prompts to simplify content

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Situation 3: Lack of Confidence or Persuasiveness

Problem: Lack of confidence in proposal language.

Fix:

1. Sentiment: 8-9
2. Active Voice: 9-10
3. Subjectivity: 6-7
4. Grade Level: 12-13
5. Complexity: 7-8
6. Concreteness: 8-9
7. Use Rogue Chat to highlight past successes

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Situation 4: Misaligned Tone with Solicitation Requirements

Problem: Tone doesn’t match RFP requirements.

Fix:

1. Use Outline Generator to analyze solicitation
2. Grade Level: 12-14 for technical RFPs
3. Subjectivity: 4-5 for technical, 5-6 for balanced RFPs
4. Complexity: 7-9 for technical, 6-7 for less technical RFPs
5. Active Voice: 7-8
6. Sentiment: 7-8
7. Concreteness: 8-9 for technical, 6-7 for conceptual RFPs
8. Use Compliance Matrix to verify tone alignment

For additional help, refer to our documentation, YouTube videos, weekly webinars, and customer success team.