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Tone of Voice
The tone of voice is the voice of our organisation. The way we talk shows who we are. Because nobody speaks the way we do. It is how our employees, customers and other stakeholders recognise us, wherever they meet with Nexent Bank. Our tone of voice is always the same, but we adjust the tone. It makes sense: you, too, would sound different when you congratulate someone or are the bearer of bad news, even though you have the same voice.
Dynamic
It does sound: positive, active, vivid
It does not sound: amicable, hyper-active, abstract
Nexent Bank has ambition and the drive to improve. Our diverse team around the globe offers seamless local experiences with a global view. We think outside the box, inspiring stakeholders to engage and trust our capabilities.
We speak with energy and assurance, showing our can-do attitude. Our dynamic texts inspire to take action, are easy to read and have an engaging rhythm.
Tips for writing dynamic
Active
Keep it active.
We will take care of it’ instead of ‘It will be taken care of’.
Avoid auxiliary verbs.
Can, shall, will be
‘We will solve it for you’ instead of ‘We shall do our best to try and solve this for you’.
Alternate longer sentences with shorter ones.
This adds some energy and rhythm.
Vivid
Show, don’t tell.
V When a Dutch electronics company needed fast turnaround financing for a new project, we tailored a unique solution within 48 hours, enabling them to meet their production deadlines.
X We do not believe in ready-made solutions; every project is personal.
Tell a story or describe a situation.
Add some liveliness to the text by adding a visual or personal aspect. ‘Nexent Bank is not just a bank. It is home to more than 900 colleagues in seven countries.
Amplify text with images.
Sometimes images do speak louder than words. Use that to your advantage.
Positive
Show possibilities and offer solutions and alternatives.
We are a boutique bank. Our communication shows that we offer tailor-made solutions.
V Our vast range of services spans five sectors over seven countries, enabling us to guide you through the fluctuations of economic cycles.
X We prioritise our customer’s needs by offering distinctive products and services and delivering valuable market information.
Avoid negative framing.
‘Having a permit allows you to...’ instead of ‘You cannot, unless you have a permit’.
Use positive language.
Use positive adjectives. Avoid heavy words, like ‘failed’ or ‘denied’, yet refrain from overexaggeration. Something is ‘great’ but not ‘amazing’, it is ‘important’ – not ‘crucial’. Use exclamation marks sparingly.
Vocabulary
Using words like agile, pro-active, energy, driven, confident and responsive conveys our dynamic approach.
Expert
It does sound: trustworthy, professional, confident
It does not sound: distant, jargon, condescending
Our professional and trustworthy behaviour reflects our commitment to customised solutions and expertise.
We use clear, direct language to communicate our capabilities and dedication to helping our employees, customers and other stakeholders get ahead.
Tips for writing expert
Confident
Avoid modal provisions.
maybe, possibly, hopefully
Be concise and to the point.
Avoid unnecessary filler words. ‘We provide comprehensive financial services’ instead of ‘We are here to help you with all kinds of financial services.’
Trustworthy
Be precise.
Be specific and clear in your wording. Use ‘within 48 hours’ instead of ‘soon’.
Use little abbreviations.
In customer communication, refrain from abbreviations and acronyms for processes or departments which you would use between colleagues.
Professional
Use terminology appropriately.
Use industry-specific terms but empathise with your customer’s level of knowledge.
Maintain a professional tone.
We balance between formal and informal. We do not want to sound distant, or informal.
X The breadth and depth of our personnel's expertise, coupled with their extensive geographical knowledge, significantly augment our operational capabilities. - too informal
X We know our stuff and our customers trust us to deliver tailored solutions to meet their needs. - too informal
V Our staff is our strength, with financial specialists from over 24 countries. They not only know everything about their field of expertise but also have a vast knowledge of the countries they work in.
Use testimonials or case studies.
Incorporate real-life examples to illustrate expertise and success. ‘Customer X improved their financial health by 30% using our customised solutions.'
Vocabulary
Using words like tailor-made, knowledge, boutique bank, and solutions underscores the bank’s credibility.
Empowering
It does sound: transparent, accessible, supportive
It does not sound: people-pleasing, over-ambitious, over-explaining
Empowering means strengthening everything from our culture to our leadership and our employees, customers and other stakeholders. Making things more transparent and engaging, embracing diversity and inclusion, and helping our employees, customers and stakeholders nurture their ambitions and achieve their goals.
This is reflected in our supportive and inclusive tone. For customers, it means we demystify jargon and make information accessible and appealing by writing customer-oriented texts.
Tips for writing empowering
Transparent
Use concrete language.
‘We achieved a 20% increase in sales last quarter’ instead of ‘We had a significant increase in sales recently’.
Write truthfully.
Being transparent means saying it as it is, not covering anything up, nor exaggerating.
Accessible
Provide scannable content.
- Core message at the top
- Clear (sub)headings
- Bullets and numbered lists
Use conjunctions.
because, then, therefore.
This improves readability.
Consider all abilities.
Ensure the online content is accessible to people with hearing or visual disabilities.
Consider different knowledge levels.
Whether you address colleagues or customers, ask yourself what they know about a topic or project.
Supportive
Be inclusive and supportive.
Both in messaging and tone. This applies to colleagues and customers.
V Encountering challenges? Our team will help you succeed.
X Let us know if you need help.
Put customers at the core.
Customer-oriented texts focus on the customer’s background, experience and service. Address them with ‘you’ and show what is in it for them.
Use clear calls to action.
Encourage engagement and participation by giving clear directions and calls to action.
Share your knowledge and acknowledge theirs.
Our customers know their business and we know ours. Get them up to speed by explaining technical terms. Provide actionable advice and essential information to get ahead.
Vocabulary
Using terms such as enable, equip, nurture, and opportunities highlight the focus on growth and support.
Copy Style Guide
Read the copy style guide and consult it before publishing any communication. This ensures a consistent tone across all platforms and content types.
The guide is reviewed and updated to reflect the evolving organisation and market landscape. We use British English. Want to know more about specific spelling or grammar? Please consult the Oxford Dictionary for more in-depth rules.
Please note that the copy style guide serves as an overall guide for corporate communication. For retail communication or in local languages, there may be deviations or exceptions. Pay attention to local spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Inclusive Language
Acknowledge all gender identities and diverse family structures and consider all abilities. Use positive and person-centred language when writing about people with disabilities. In doing so, you ensure that communication is inclusive and respectful of all demographics. Avoid gender-specific terms and use neutral language where possible.
This applies to overall and corporate-level communication. When translating inclusive language to local languages, keep in mind the language-specific guidelines and usage.
V
Chairperson, salesperson
V
Everyone, colleagues
V
Bring your family and partner
V
People with a hearing disability
V
They, them, their
X
Chairman, salesman
X
Ladies and gentlemen
X
Bring your wife and kids
X
The deaf
Dates and numbers
Telephone numbers
See the example.
In retail communication, we do not refer to a telephone country code, but rather the area code.
+31 (0)20 35 76 300
+40 (0) 123 456 789
Days, dates and times
In running text, we spell out days and dates, including the year. In documents and templates, dates are written in numerical format for technical consistency: day.month.year. In British English, we use the day-month-year format and the 24-hour clock.
Monday
Our launch is on 9 December 2026.
08.04.2025
We will meet at 09:00.
Numbers
We write out numbers under ten but always use digits for percentages. In marketing communication for retail, you can use digits under ten.
Write numbers 10 and over as digits, up to 999,999.
Write numbers zero to nine as words unless they are technical or precise, such as dates, figures or table titles.
Where a range crosses the 10 boundary, use digits.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, 12, 34, 70, 84
3%
First, ninth, 10th
This is the most effective of the two measures...
7 March 2017
1,000
Figure 1
9 to 12 respondents (not nine to 12 respondents)
Currency
In official and more formal documents such as annual reports, the currency is abbreviated before the amount. We do not use ,- after.
In marketing or retail communication, we can use the currency sign (€, $).
200 (not 200,-)
50.50 (not 50,50)
EUR 699,500.50
USD 3,000
Always refer to the local currency notation guidelines.
Punctuation and capitalisation
Colon
A colon is not normally followed by a capital letter in British usage, though American usage often prefers to use a capital.
Africa is facing a terrifying problem: perpetual drought.
Quotation marks
Use ‘single’ quotation marks, except when you are quoting someone. Only use punctuation outside of quotation marks, unless you are quoting someone.
Click ‘go’, ‘go’, and go to ‘start’.
He said: “Let’s start”.
Bulleted lists
Bulleted lists improve readability. Whatever you do, keep it consistent. It is best to use either all sentences or all short phrases. Choose between either of the formats and do not combine them.
Try to avoid semicolons, as they are perceived as old-fashioned. If you must, use them for lists that consist of a continuous sentence.
On the right, you see three versions of bulleted lists you can use.
Our policy on bulleted lists is:
They can follow a colon.
Capitalise and use a full stop for complete
sentences.
A few extra rules that you can read below.
If the list consists of short phrases, then:
no capital
no full stop
If you must use semicolons, then
do it for a list;
which is a continuous sentence, and
end the last bullet with a full stop.
Capitalisation
Capitalise names of specific people, places, organisations and titles, days of the week and months.
John Doe
London
Harvard University
Mr, Mrs, Dr (do not add a full stop)
Monday, July
Referring to ourselfs
Referring to Nexent Bank
Use Nexent Bank or ‘we’. Where applicable, choose Nexent Bank N.V.
Nexent Bank
Nexent Bank N.V.
‘We provide financial planning solutions.’
‘Nexent Bank provides financial planning solutions.’
Shorter ways to write words
Abbreviations, initials or acronyms
We generally do not use abbreviations except for commonly used abbreviations, such as (but not limited to) the examples given.
Do not use full stops after abbreviations, contractions or acronyms and close up space between letters.
etc. for etcetera
e.g. for exampli gratia
Consider various factors, e.g. cost, efficiency, time.
USA
ECB
PDF
kg, cm (do not add a full stop)
Contractions
As contractions (you’ll, he’s, aren’t, we’re) are usually not appropriate in formal writing.
Exception: the medium justifies the means. If you are writing an inspiring blog post or a post on social media channels, contractions are more suitable.
You will find more on the page below.
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