Does Your Tone Speak Louder Than Your Words?
How Your Tone as a Call Handler Impacts Your Effectiveness
Scrambled eggs are a breakfast staple in my household. Honestly, eggs in general are. Sometimes hard-boiled, sometimes soft-boiled, and sometimes fried. But scrambled is usually the go-to, served alongside whatever breakfast sausage links or bacon is on the plate.
One morning, my family and I were making eggs, bacon, and toast when we realized we were out of milk. We usually add a little to our scrambled eggs to make them fluffier, but that morning, the fridge was devoid of any.
Ugh.
What we did have, though, was a bottle of French vanilla creamer.
On a complete whim, my mom figured, why not? A little creamer should work just like milk, right? It wouldn’t be that noticeable, right?
The eggs were ruined. The French vanilla completely overpowered the flavor, and I was so disgusted I nearly got sick. I swore off scrambled eggs for two months after that, and to this day,
nearly 17 years later, I still refuse to put French vanilla creamer in my coffee. The thing that really stuck with me from that morning was how, before I took a bite, the eggs looked perfectly normal.
Just like the eggs I’d eaten the day before, and the day before that. But the second my fork hit my mouth, none of that mattered. The taste was awful, and no matter how good the eggs looked, the flavor was all wrong.
In this industry, the way we communicate with each other works the same way.
We don’t always realize how much our tone impacts our words. What we say might be perfectly fine—clear, professional, even necessary—but if our tone is off, it’s like flavoring scrambled eggs with French vanilla creamer.
The words don’t go down the way they should, and we might end up pushing someone away—a coworker, a trainee, an employee, or a team member—without even meaning to.
In this entry of Gold Line Truths, we’re going to dig into why tone matters just as much—if not more—than the words we say.
We’ll explore how the wrong tone can deliver the wrong message, even when our words are technically correct. A negative, divisive, or critical tone can be the kind of invisible double-speak that quietly breaks down communication in your ECC.
Okay, are you ready to get started…then let’s dive in!
You Can Be Right, and Still Be Wrong
If you are in any leadership role or serve as a trainer or instructor, you know this truth all too well.
You can be absolutely correct, but if your tone is all wrong, no one is really going to listen.
Messaging is everything. It is not just what you say, but how you say it, and sometimes the unspoken message in between the lines matters just as much. This holds true on 9-1-1 calls as well. Words can either build bridges or create barriers, depending on how you use them and the tone behind them. When your words and tone work together effectively, the bridges you build help facilitate learning, establish trust, or create rapport with the listener.
You will notice that the right or wrong tone has the power to shape the words that come out of your mouth. Tone doesn’t just add emphasis or supplement what you are saying: it sets the entire stage for what comes next. Having the right tone with a caller makes all the difference because it shapes how they interpret what you are saying.
Two people can say practically the same thing, but tone becomes the filter that colors the meaning and intention behind the words. There is a huge gap between “Ma’am, stop yelling!” and “Ma’am, I want to get help to you, but you need to stop yelling so I can ask you some questions.”
Tone can be the difference between “Sir, I didn’t ask if they were BLEEDING, I asked if they were BREATHING!” and “Sir, I understand that they aren’t bleeding, but I asked if they are breathing.”
The words may be similar, but the message received is completely different in the ears of the listener.
When we match a difficult caller’s tone or energy, we create barriers instead of understanding. The words may be right, but the caller will hear something entirely different.
The same principle applies to training. You might be explaining to a trainee that they need to have more urgency when entering officer-initiated calls. A critical tone can make it sound like you are berating them for being too slow typing in CAD, while a positive tone can reinforce that urgency matters because you want them to succeed.
If the message behind your words is rooted in criticism, then no matter how right you are, your point will still be lost. The words may be correct, but if they send the wrong message, they are anything but effective.
What Does Your Tone Say About Your Attitude?
The tone behind our words speaks volumes about our attitude. The way we say something gives insight into how we feel about the person we’re speaking to, the message itself, and even our own role in delivering that message.
Tone provides context, shaping how our words are received and understood. Context is everything, and our tone of voice plays a huge role in how someone perceives what we are saying.
For example, how important tone is when giving instructions to a 9-1-1 caller?
If we need them to begin chest compressions for a patient with agonal breathing, we have to guide them through each step.
We tell them to lay the patient flat on their back, place their hands in the correct position, push down with the right depth, and maintain a steady rhythm. In a moment like this, our tone matters. We need to sound assertive and steady because our confidence is what encourages the caller to follow through.
If our tone is hesitant or unsure, they might start to hesitate too. They could second-guess the instructions or even try something else if they don’t feel confident in what they are being told.
On the other hand, if we sound indifferent or apathetic, the caller might feel like we don’t care about their emergency.
People can hear empathy, and they can hear when it’s missing. When we don’t have care or compassion in our tone of voice, we convey the attitude that their emergency doesn’t matter to us. If we sound overwhelmed or uncertain, they may assume we don’t know what we’re doing. If we sound detached, they might think we don’t believe their situation is serious.
Tone doesn’t just matter in life-or-death situations. Even in routine calls, how we speak shapes how the caller feels. Someone reporting a minor traffic complaint or a noise disturbance still wants to feel like their issue is being taken seriously. If our tone is dismissive, they might feel like we aren’t really listening.
If we sound engaged and professional, they are more likely to trust that we are handling their situation appropriately.
“Our tone has power. It can inspire confidence or create doubt. It can calm a frantic caller or make their anxiety worse. Every word we say carries meaning, but how we say it determines whether it reassures, comforts, or causes concern.”
People Can’t Always Hear Good Intention, But They Can Feel It!
Some people have a way of changing the energy in a room just by walking into it. Their presence alone carries a certain vibe, a feeling so strong that it spreads, shaping the atmosphere around them. Sometimes it’s uplifting, sometimes it’s not.
But energy isn’t just about physical presence.
It’s also in our words.
The tone we use, the emotions behind what we say, and the way we deliver a message all stir up something in the people who hear us. Intentions are personal, and they don’t always translate clearly. We might mean well, but that doesn’t mean our words land the way we intended.
What people will always recognize though is how our words make them feel.
Do they walk away inspired, empowered, and encouraged?
Even when receiving constructive criticism, do they leave feeling capable of improvement, believing in their own potential because we believe in them too?
Or do they walk away feeling small, discouraged, and full of awful, self-defeating doubt?
The way we speak to people matters – our tone, our delivery, and our choice of words can either build someone up or tear them down. They can push people to succeed, inspire them to reach higher, and make them feel valued—or they can create frustration, despair, and a lingering sense of worthlessness.
No amount of “good intention” or “I’m only hard on you because I want you to be great” is enough to justify weaponizing our words or our tone and using it to create fear or hurt someone’s feelings. I’m not talking to only those in executive leadership or middle management roles; this isn’t just for the supervisors, managers, trainers or lead dispatchers.
Every person in the ECC, from the very frontlines of operations to the highest level of command, is constantly communicating messages, both verbally and nonverbally. Every conversation, every message, leaves something behind.
So, what do our words leave in their wake?
Are we creating a work environment where people feel supported and motivated, or are we unknowingly contributing to negativity and burnout? Long after we’ve walked away, what feelings remain because of what we said?
I said it in the beginning, words are loud, but tone speaks even louder!
Today, and every day, let’s be mindful of what tone might mean to someone who is listening to us or learning from us.
