Ask a guitar player what the most important, most sought-after, most valuable part of playing is, and he/she is likely to say tone.  Tone is king!  Pure, transcendent tone is what all guitarists long for.  According to this article on GuitarWorld.com, “tone is the holy grail for all guitarists.”

While tone is certainly important to Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, or [insert your favorite guitar hero here] – tone is equally important in our everyday “performances.”  We may not be on a literal stage, but we should always be mindful of our audience.  Whether engaged in face-to-face conversation, speaking over the phone, or leaving a voice message, it’s important to convey a friendly, helpful tone.

Tone is also conveyed in written communication, so before you press the send button, read your email message one more time.  Consider how your message might be received on the other end.  This is especially important with text messages, which often do not include standard punctuation and spelling.  I’m finding that as more people become accustomed to text messaging, they tend to compose email messages the same way – and this can lead to misunderstanding.  It’s always better to use a cordial tone, whether communicating with a client, peer, associate, friend, or family member.

QIC exclamation #3 is: Maintain a Tone of Friendliness.  This is our goal for the entire organization, and we earnestly seek to live it every day.  Challenging?  Certainly.  Rewarding? Absolutely. 

After all, tone is the holy grail for guitarists and should be for all of us.