Search Website
Prompt engineering for Western University’s brand voice and tone
Using a consistent brand voice and tone across communications materials is important for maintaining clarity, credibility, and a recognizable institutional identity. This helps ensure communications across Western University feels cohesive and authentic.
AI can produce fluent copy, but without clear direction it may flatten nuance, sound generic, or miss the context that shapes effective university communications. Identifying who content is intended for ensures the response is appropriately framed, relevant, and aligned with the purpose of the communication.
Western’s Voice and Tone
When prompting AI for marketing and communications content, align outputs with Western’s established voice and tone:
- Ambitious and Forward Looking
Western’s communications reflect momentum, purpose, and impact. Language should emphasize discovery, progress, and the university’s role in shaping the future through education and research.
- Human-Centred and Inclusive
Our tone is welcoming, respectful, and audience aware. Use inclusive language that reflects Western’s commitment to diverse perspectives, collaboration, and community.
- Confident and Credible
Communications should convey expertise and leadership while remaining clear and accessible. Complex ideas should be explained plainly, without oversimplifying.
Overall, the tone should be professional, warm and engaging — authoritative without being distant. Prompts should be crafted to ensure AI-generated content reflects Western’s values, reinforces trust and supports meaningful connection with our audiences.
Best Practices for Prompting with Brand Voice in Mind
When using AI for communications work, effective prompts should:
- Be clear and specific — State the topic, audience, purpose, and desired outcome.
- Assign a role or persona — Define who the AI is acting as to guide tone and perspective.
- Provide relevant context — Include background information, the intended audience, or where the content will appear.
- Define tone and style explicitly — Specify attributes that reflect Western’s voice.
- Use simple, direct language — Clear prompts produce clearer responses.
- Guide length and format — Indicate whether content should be brief, detailed, or structured in a specific way.
- Set constraints — Specify what to avoid, such as overly complex language, exaggeration, or unverified claims.
Using Common Prompt Types
Different prompting approaches support a range of communications goals.
- Zero-Shot Prompts
Provide a clear instruction without examples.
Example: Summarize this content for a general external audience visiting uwo.ca. - Few-Shot Prompts
Include examples to align with a specific voice, structure, or format.
Example: Using these Western executive summaries, draft a new summary in a similar style. - Role-Based Prompts
Assign a perspective to guide tone and focus.
Example: You are a communications advisor at Western University writing for prospective students.
Common Use Cases AI-assisted prompting can support marketing and communications workflows when used in alignment with Western’s voice, audiences, and goals:
- Idea generation and planning — Supporting early exploration and concept development.
- Audience-informed research — Compiling background material or summarizing trends to inform strategy.
- Drafting and refining communications — Assisting with first drafts that are reviewed and edited by content owners.
Limitations
AI tools can produce inaccurate or misleading content, including confidently presenting false or factually incorrect information, making up references, and exhibiting biases that could produce misleading or harmful results. It is important to check all AI-generated content against verifiable sources and, when necessary, correct the output and adjust your prompts accordingly. AI-generated content should not be relied upon as a sole source of truth and must be reviewed for accuracy, tone, and suitability within its intended communications context. Responsibility for final content remains with the content creator. As AI systems evolve, our understanding and use of these systems in marketing and communications work should also deepen and shift.