Voice and Tone

by Lori Hanna - Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 8:27 PM

After reading about voice and tone this week I have been thinking about how these topics are similar and
different in the eLearning environment when compared to the traditional classroom. Palloff & Pratt say,
“Traditional leadership roles - don't translate effectively to the environment of an asynchronous
dialogue. (2013, p.103)” Below is the chart from Lessons from the Virtual Classroom, listing examples
of their palette of six voices, eight tones, and two classes of critical-thinking strategies the author
developed.

VOICES TONES CRITICAL-THINKING

STRATEGIES

 Generative Guide  Nurturing  Strategies that sharpen focus

 Conceptual Facilitator  Imaginative  Strategies that dig deeper
 Reflective Guide  Curious
 Personal Muse  Informal
 Mediator  Humorous
 Role Play  Neutral
 Analytical
 Whimsical
Additionally, I was intrigued by how voice and tone can be tied together. Palloff & Pratt also said,
“Some tones may fit particularly well with certain voices or critical thinking strategies. (2013, p. 125)”

1. In what ways do you think voice and tone are similar in the eLearning compared to the
traditional learning environment? What ways are they different?
2. Which of the tones do you think fit well with which voice? Why?
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons from the Virtual Classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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Re: Voice and Tone

by Maggie Rouman - Thursday, June 28, 2018, 12:02 PM

Since I am playing student this week I will respond. First, thanks for sharing the chart. I tend
to have more of a reflective voice. With that voice nurturing, neutral and curious tones
seem to fit. What might not work so well online is a humorous or whimsical tone. One has to
be very careful how one phrases things when using those tones.

Maggie

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Re: Voice and Tone
by Lori Hanna - Thursday, June 28, 2018, 5:34 PM

Hi Maggie,

I'm glad that you get to play the student this week. As with most teachers, when then to teach the same
way we learn, so thus the chart. I always use many visual supports.

You said that you tend to use a reflective voice, what other voices do you use? Does your use of voice
and tone change with the topic or the students?

Lori

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Re: Voice and Tone
by XXXXX - Friday, June 29, 2018, 8:27 AM

Great questions Lori! I also think the chart adds value to the post!

Voice and tone differ from online to the traditional classroom mainly because you cannot hear the tone
of voice in online classrooms (or you imagine the voice/tone your own way). It is important to be more
of a reflective guide online whereas in a traditional classroom you can add humor and whimsical tones. I
teach both online and face to face and find advantages to both. With face to face I find myself being able
to joke around with students and build a different relationship than online. Online I find that I am able to
reach more students with feedback and be more reflective and nurturing to them. Using both critical
thinking strategies is key to both learning environments in my opinion.

XXXX

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Re: Voice and Tone

by Lori Hanna - Saturday, June 30, 2018, 10:24 PM

Hi XXXXX,

It is much harder to joke online. Can you give an example of reflective/nurturing feedback?

Lori

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Re: Voice and Tone
By WWWWWW - Friday, June 29, 2018, 8:13 PM

Hey Lori, thanks for the post. Voice and tone online as well as in a traditional setting are the
same. Instructors will find themselves utilizing certain voices and tones to meet the desired outcome.
What's different or perhaps most challenging is not the categories of voices and tones but online
implementation. Instructors will need to develop the skill to craft text to maintain a cohesive learning
environment.

My go to voice would be personal muse mixed with a nurturing tone. This mix seems to encourage
learners as well as deflate any possible tension.

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Re: Voice and Tone

by Lori Hanna - Saturday, June 30, 2018, 10:28 PM

Hi WWWWW,

Is there a particular reason why your "Go To" voice and tone is a nurturing personal muse? Do you
think it matches your personality or the context of what you teach?

Lori

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Re: Voice and Tone
by OOOOOOO - Saturday, June 30, 2018, 1:49 AM

Hi Lori,

I think in an online setting one must be more nurturing and analytical. These two tones are necessary to
inspire critical thinking whereas in a face to face setting one can use more non-verbal communication to
send a message analytically.

In an online setting or face-to-face I think curious is a great tone when it relates to education and
training. As a trainer, for me to be effective I first need to find out why people think the way they
think. Some of my training is in person and some is online and I am always asking why. The why gets
me to point by which I can be an effective one-on-one trainer.

My tones by which I conduct myself are nurturing and curiosity. As already noted I am always curious
and the curiosity leads to using a nurturing tone. If I have untrain someone I need to be curious as to
what it is I need to untrain, and then to get the training process started in the correct direction I need to
be nurturing. I know as I become a better trainer, I will also become more analytical.

OOOOOO
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Re: Voice and Tone

by Lori Hanna - Saturday, June 30, 2018, 10:38 PM

Hi OOOOOO,

In my job as a professional learning specialist for WIDA, I am always telling educators that to be
effective in instruction you must know your students. Curiosity is a great teacher. Do you think that you
can be curious and analytical at the same time?

Lori

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Re: Voice and Tone
by YYYYYYY - Saturday, June 30, 2018, 3:39 AM

Hi Lori,

The ESL intermediate and advanced conversation speaking courses I've taught didn't follow a rigid
curriculum in the least. There were objectives and learning outcome, but the class was flexible and not
based on a textbook. We explored and discussed an array of different topics and themes from articles,
opinion columns, and news clips. Many of the students, especially working adults, were especially
interested in social issues. This is when the fireworks started. I guess I could refer to myself as the
pyrotechnics engineer. I prepared potentially explosive material, and was also responsible for
extinguishing the flames.

In these classes I essentially ran the gamut when it came to using the voices and tones. Of course I
wasn't cognizant of this at the time as I hadn't learned about them until this week. I facilitated purely by
feel; observing the group dynamics and choosing whether to intervene or show restraint.

One of the voice/tone combinations I believed help ease tensions during stagnant discussions
was personal muse / humor. A short personal anecdote always seemed to lighten the mood. The students
could also see that I share some the same frustrations and sentiments as them.

The generative guide-conceptual facilitator / curious combination is also a safe way to moderate
discussion, By laying out opinions that are commonly shared among people, and within the group, a
better sense of inclusion and respect between members can be accomplished. The curious, informal
tones serves to soften my inquiries to the group.

YYYYYY

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Re: Voice and Tone
by Lori Hanna - Saturday, June 30, 2018, 10:21 PM

Hi Harry,

I loved the analogy of a pyrotechnic engineer. Are the ESL courses you taught at the secondary level? I
know that they are different than K-12. When I was teaching high school Sheltered Language Arts for
ELLs I learned that I had to use a different "voice" based on the cultural and linguistic background of
my students. The "voice" and "tone" I used with my Latino students was not effective with my Russian
speaking students and visa a versa. Have you had that experience also?

Lori