Teach ChatGPT in a PR Writing Class Series—Post 1: Style and Tone
Last semester, I started integrating ChatGPT into my promotional writing class, COMM 335: Writing Across Platforms. In the past, I’ve written about using generative AI in my social media class and shared several videos on the topic. Today, I’m excited to share the first post in a multi-part series on how ChatGPT can enhance promotional writing. This post will focus on using ChatGPT to refine style and tone, particularly when considering a brand’s voice and writing style guidelines.
Before we dive in, it’s important to acknowledge a common concern: the fear that students might use AI to write their papers for them. These concerns are valid, but we must also recognize that artificial intelligence is here to stay. Our colleagues in business are already using it to write emails, reports, and other communications. My goal is to teach students how to use these tools to enhance their writing, rather than rely on AI to write for them.
Using ChatGPT to Explore Style and Tone in Writing
In my class, we discuss how brands have distinct voices. Just like a logo or a font, a brand’s “voice” conveys its identity and helps shape consumer perception.
We explore style—the way ideas are expressed—and tone—the mood or attitude of the writing. While tone can vary depending on context, style remains consistent.
One activity I use involves students reading online text and comparing it to an organization’s writing or voice guidelines. For example, I like to have students explore the UK.gov website. They spend five minutes browsing and then describe the voice they perceive from the content. We then compare their observations to the UK.gov voice guidelines (a sample is included below).
Sample of UK.gov’s Voice Guidelines
Playing with Style and Tone in ChatGPT
Next, have your students experiment with ChatGPT to generate responses in a specific style or tone. This exercise not only helps students understand how style and tone can shape text for different contexts and audiences, but it also teaches them how to adjust their own writing to align with a brand’s voice.
ChatGPT Prompt: Getting Started with Style and Tone
- Please write a [style] paragraph for [subject].Style examples: inspirational, persuasive, explanatory, analytical.Tone examples: frustrated, happy, bored, panicked, rushed, sleepy, relaxed.Example:
Please write a persuasive argument for why my parents should let me borrow their car. Be sure to mention my straight-A grades.
- Can you please suggest a more [style and/or tone] way to phrase this?[Insert text to check]Examples:
- Can you suggest a kinder way to phrase this?
- Can you suggest a less rushed way to phrase this?
Analyzing Tone and Style with ChatGPT
After experimenting with various styles and tones, encourage students to analyze the voice and style of a specific website. This exercise not only helps students understand how brands communicate but also improves their ability to analyze and refine their own writing.
ChatGPT Tone and Style Analysis Prompt
Please analyze the writing style and tone of the following text. Provide your response in bullet points.
[Insert text to analyze]
Once students understand how a brand’s voice is conveyed, have them attempt to mimic that style. Then, they can take their own writing and use the same prompt to assess how closely their text matches the brand’s voice.
Conclusion
That’s all for now! Check back in a few weeks for the next post in this series on using ChatGPT—or your preferred large language model—in promotional writing classes.
Sources
Harnessing ChatGPT for Productivity (Parts 1 and 2)
p.s. I used the below prompt to quickly copyedit and improve this posts. I was pleased with the enhancements made to my original post.
Please check the below text for clarity and suggest improvements: [Insert Entire Blog Post]
