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Voice

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Aleris is the Present Expert: a specialist who has time for you, speaks clearly and directly, and takes a genuine interest in your situation.

Why it looks like this

The Present Expert sees each situation from where the reader is, whether that is a patient, next of kin, a partner or an investor, and not from inside the clinic or the company. The patient is the hardest case and gets the most care. A text that reads as Aleris's internal perspective is off-brand, however correct it is.

Every text, interface and message can be tested with one question: does this feel written for me in my situation?

If it treats the reader as an object instead of the subject, it is not finished.

The character is the same in every channel, from a website to a text message, a sign or a presentation. How the principles are applied depends on the situation: a patient before a cardiac assessment needs predictability and structure, and someone booking a health check out of curiosity needs affirmation and a focus on the outcome.

What never changes

  1. Write to the person, never about them in the third person

    Write "avoid", not "the patient should avoid".

  2. Begin with the person and what they need

    Start with their situation, not with the clinic, the department or the process.

  3. Plain language, with clinical and advanced terms explained

    Be honest and to the point.

  4. Explain clinical information instead of listing it

    An explanation gives the patient something to do with what they now know, while a bare list of risks creates worry with no way forward.

  5. Keep what the organisation needs apart from the guidance a person needs

    Legal language and resource management go in a section or document of their own, and sales or marketing never go into care or clinical communication.

  6. No empty pleasantries

    Leave out openers such as "Thank you for your question" and go straight to the point.

How to apply it

Patient information

Headings are the patient's questions, in the order they arise: "Your medicines before the operation" rather than "Medication". A patient should be able to read the headings alone and know what to do.

An appointment letter first confirms the date, time, place and who the patient will meet, then says what to do beforehand, how to find the way and what to bring, and how to rebook. Blank fields, unless they are the recipient's to fill in, tell the patient that the letter is a template, and they do not feel seen.

Presentations

A slide supports what the speaker says. A heading and one key idea leave room to explain, while ten bullet points make the speaker read out what the audience is already reading. Headings state a claim, such as "Seven checks that prevent errors", instead of naming a category such as "Safe routines".

Digital products

In an interface the answer or the confirmation comes first and the explanation after. Anything that does not answer "what happens now?" can come later or be cut.

Length follows the situation: two to four words for a button or label, one or two sentences for an error message, one sentence for a confirmation.

AI tools and chat

A chat explains processes, timelines and logistics, and refers onward. It does not diagnose, recommend treatment or interpret test results.

When the right answer is to contact a person, it says so plainly and names who to contact and how.

Clinical instructions, such as fasting, medication or preparation, reach patients only through a channel with a licensed clinical sender.

Text drafted with an AI tool gets a second reading against the list of AI tells before it leaves your hands, because the pass that generates a text misses what a separate re-reading catches.

What good looks like

  • Do

    "Need to change your time? Get in touch at least two weeks before your operation."

    The patient is the one acting, and their question comes first.

  • Don't

    "In the event of the patient's non-attendance, the patient will be charged a fee."

    The patient is written about in the third person, as someone the rule is applied to.

  • Do

    A button that says "Boka tid"

    "Book an appointment" is a verb phrase, so it tells the reader what happens when they click.

  • Don't

    A button that says "Bokning"

    "Booking" is a noun, which names the subject but not what the button does.

  • Do

    "We could not save your details. Check your connection and try again. Your answers are not lost."

    It says what happened and what to do next, and it settles the worry about lost work.

  • Don't

    "An error occurred. Try again."

    With no next step, the reader is left alone with the problem.

  • Do

    A chat reply: "I have moved your appointment to Thursday at 10."

    Every word carries information the person needs.

  • Don't

    A chat reply: "Absolutely, I would be happy to help with that."

    The opener adds nothing and reads as enthusiasm borrowed from English-language AI tools.

Asked about voice

  • Can a message or notification be sent from our unit or our app, or is the sender always Aleris?
  • How do I stop text I made with an AI tool from sounding like a chatbot?
  • Can I use an exclamation mark?
  • Do we write du or ni to patients?

Creating with voice

How it is checked

  • Heading tells

Read from lib/heading-tells.test.ts at build.

Source and status

Accepted

Last verified
2026-08-11
Owner
Not recorded
Depends on
foundation/constant-contextual, foundation/emotional-modes
Read by agents as
/explore/voice.md