Voice & Messaging

Our voice reflects who we are: a community of doers and makers who approach challenges with curiosity, purpose, and a willingness to act. It is direct and confident without being overstated, and approachable without being casual.

Whether we’re telling a student story, describing our research, or introducing an academic program, we aim to communicate with clarity and substance. We use specific examples, active language, and real outcomes to show what makes New York Tech distinctive.

Our voice is:

Clear
We get to the point and make complex ideas easy to understand.

Confident
We know the value of what we do and communicate it without hype.

Human
We write for people, using natural language and real experiences.

Forward-looking
We focus on ideas, action, progress, and what’s possible.

Our voice stays consistent, but our tone should adapt to the audience, purpose, and moment. The way we welcome a prospective student will naturally differ from how we share a research breakthrough or communicate important university information.

Whatever the context, our tone should feel like New York Tech: clear, confident, human, and appropriate to the situation.

Consider your audience.
Think about what they know, what they need, and why they’re hearing from us.

Consider the moment.
Match the tone to the subject. Some communications call for energy and enthusiasm; others require restraint, empathy, or authority.

Stay true to our voice.
Adjust the tone, not the personality. Clarity, substance, and authenticity should come through in everything we write.

Our messaging gives shape to the New York Tech story. It should communicate not only what we offer, but why it matters—connecting our people, programs, opportunities, and experiences to the impact they have.

Lead with what is meaningful to your audience, and support broad claims with specific examples. Show what students, faculty, alumni, and partners are doing and what those experiences make possible.

Focus on people.
Put people and their experiences at the center of our stories.

Show, don’t just tell.
Use examples, outcomes, and evidence to demonstrate our strengths rather than relying on broad claims.

Connect opportunity to impact.
Explain what an experience, resource, or program enables someone to do, create, discover, or achieve.

Be specific.
Choose meaningful details over long lists, generalizations, or familiar higher education language.

The strongest New York Tech stories show what happens here rather than simply describing it. Focus on the people doing the work, the opportunities available to them, and the outcomes that give those experiences meaning.

Whether you’re writing about a student, program, research project, or university initiative, look for the details that make the story specific and credible.

Put people first.
Whenever possible, tell the story through the people experiencing, creating, discovering, or accomplishing something.

Give claims context.
Rather than saying a program is innovative or career-focused, show what makes it so.

Connect the dots.
Help readers understand how an opportunity leads to an experience—and what that experience makes possible.

Choose substance over superlatives.
Let achievements, outcomes, and real examples demonstrate our strengths. Avoid exaggeration, unnecessary hype, and claims we can’t support.

Make it ours.
Look for the details that could only belong to New York Tech—our people, places, programs, partnerships, and experiences.

Consistent style helps make our communications clear, professional, and recognizably New York Tech.

Our Editorial Style Guide covers university-specific conventions for names, titles, capitalization, dates and time, abbreviations, punctuation, terminology, web writing, and more. New York Tech generally follows Associated Press style, with our own guidelines taking precedence where noted.

A few essentials:

Use our full name first.
Use New York Institute of Technology on first reference. New York Tech may be used on second reference or in appropriate informal contexts. Do not use NYIT or Tech or NY Tech as general references to the university.

Use official names.
Schools, colleges, centers, programs, buildings, and university events should be identified by their approved names.

Write for your audience.
Spell out unfamiliar acronyms and shorthand, and choose language that is clear to readers outside your immediate area.

When in doubt, check the guide.
Use the full Editorial Style Guide for detailed guidance and examples.

People read differently online. They scan for what they need, often on a small screen, so web content should be clear, concise, and easy to navigate.

Lead with what matters.
Put the most important information first. Don’t make readers work through background information to find what they came for.

Make it easy to scan.
Use descriptive headings, short paragraphs, and lists when they help readers find information quickly.

Keep it concise.
Use straightforward language and remove words that don’t add meaning.

Write useful links.
Use descriptive link text that tells readers where they’re going. Avoid vague phrases such as “click here” or “learn more” when a more specific label is possible.

Keep accessibility in mind.
Use clear headings, meaningful link text, and language that can be understood by the widest possible audience.

Write for people first.
Prioritize useful, relevant content over writing for search engines. Clear organization and meaningful language serve both readers and search.

Determine Your Voice and Tone

• Establish a consistent voice that reflects the personality of your school, department, or area.
• Consider your target audience and craft a voice that is appealing to your followers.
• Social media is somewhat informal, so it’s okay to be casual. It’s also important to remember that you represent New York Tech, so let the university’s brand and culture be your guide. 

Be Authentic and Respectful

• Be respectful, authentic, and constructive in all posts.
• Share only accurate, verified information; correct errors promptly.
• Protect confidential and sensitive data at all times.
• Follow all laws, university policies, copyright rules, and platform Terms of Service.
• Represent New York Tech ethically and transparently.