[Vocabulary] What does "tone and substance" mean?

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Hello everyone! What does "tone and substance" mean?" in this sentence "Leaders need to make sure that the organizations we create, run and drive are receptive to that diversity of voices, in both tone and substance". Can anyone help me answer this question? Many thanks!
 

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Welcome to the forum.

Have you looked up the words "tone" and "substance" to see if you can find a definition for each one which could be appropriate to your context?
 

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Finally, I discovered their meanings. In this sentences, voice means opinion, tone means voice and substance means action. Thank you for your suggestion!
 

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Hello everyone! What does "tone and substance" mean?" in this sentence "Leaders need to make sure that the organizations we create, run and drive are receptive to that diversity of voices, in both tone and substance". Can anyone help me answer this question? Many thanks!

The voices are people or groups of people expressing their opinions. The tone of a voice is the emotional and political posture that the voice chooses to use in making its points, and the substance is the gist of what a voice says.
 

emsr2d2

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Finally, I discovered their meanings. In this sentences, voice means opinion, tone means voice and substance means action. Thank you for your suggestion!

You're welcome. Assume that that will always be our first suggestion when someone asks about the definition of a word or a phrase. Online and paper dictionaries should be your first port of call with any query. If they don't help, then a question here is appropriate, preferably along with something that shows that you have looked up the words and explain to us why none of the definitions you have found have helped you.

I would say that "substance" means "content".
 

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You're welcome. Assume that that will always be our first suggestion when someone asks about the definition of a word or a phrase. Online and paper dictionaries should be your first port of call with any query. If they don't help, then a question here is appropriate, preferably along with something that shows that you have looked up the words and explain to us why none of the definitions you have found have helped you.
I would say that "substance" means "content".

I read the explanation of tone and
substance in Oxfoxd dictionary but I got no idea because none of the explanation was appropriate for this context. Also, I have to find equivalent phrases in my own language. In this sentence, there was many valued opinions to help me and I am really appreciate your help. What do you think about the following idea?

tone Refers to how the organizations communicate with people.

substance Refers to what the organizations actually do for people.

eg You go to an organization for help. The people there talk to you sympathetically, but do very little to help you.

Clive
 

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I read the explanation of tone and
substance in Oxfoxd dictionary but I got no idea because none of the explanation was appropriate for this context. Also, I have to find equivalent phrases in my own language. In this sentence, there was many valued opinions to help me and I am really appreciate your help. What do you think about the following idea?

tone Refers to how the organizations communicate with people.

substance Refers to what the organizations actually do for people.

eg You go to an organization for help. The people there talk to you sympathetically, but do very little to help you.

Clive


Clive gave a great response (he always does!), but I believe in this context, the passage is saying that leaders need to be open to idea from many people, and they need to be open to these ideas whether they are expressed by a woman or man, a young person or an older person. They need to be open to them whether they are expressed as helpful ideas or as criticism. They need to be open to whatever is being said - the content, the facts, the main message.

That is, if someone complains about something, they need to realize there may be a real problem. Just because it was expressed as a complaint, it does not mean there is not a real issue.
That is, if the company is mostly middle-aged men and some newly hired young woman makes an observation, they need to consider it, even though it came in a different "voice" than they usually hear.
 
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probus

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Clive gave a great response (he always does!), but I believe in this context, the passage is saying that leaders need to be open to idea from many people, and they need to be open to these ideas whether they are expressed by a woman or man, a young person or an older person. They need to be open to them whether they are expressed as helpful ideas or as criticism. They need to be open to whatever is being said - the content, the facts, the main message.

That is, if someone complains about something, they need to realize there may be a real problem. Just because it was expressed as a complaint, it does not mean there is not a real issue.
That is, if the company is mostly middle-aged men and some newly hired young woman makes an observation, they need to consider it, even though it came in a different "voice" than they usually hear.

An excellent explanation!
 

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My job is employee communications and change management. I may have read into this what I believe to be true. :-D
 

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Clive gave a great response (he always does!), but I believe in this context, the passage is saying that leaders need to be open to idea from many people, and they need to be open to these ideas whether they are expressed by a woman or man, a young person or an older person. They need to be open to them whether they are expressed as helpful ideas or as criticism. They need to be open to whatever is being said - the content, the facts, the main message.

That is, if someone complains about something, they need to realize there may be a real problem. Just because it was expressed as a complaint, it does not mean there is not a real issue.
That is, if the company is mostly middle-aged men and some newly hired young woman makes an observation, they need to consider it, even though it came in a different "voice" than they usually hear.


Thank you Barb. I finished my translation with your help. I often translate foreign newspapers into my language and post it to my own non-profit website to help people in my country get knowledge. It's my hobby and I just want to convey author opinion as exactly as possible. I know, as a young English Teacher, I have to learn more and more.
 
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