Writing Tip: Use Active Voice

At some point in the history of modern business, someone decided passive voice sounded professional. It doesn't; passive voice actually comes across as someone trying to sound professional. A good writer can spot these wannabe's for miles.

Always use active voice and strong verbs.

Bad: "Your report was recommended to me by my boss, Alex Stern."

Let's turn the sentence around and have the subject of the sentence take the action.

Good: "My boss, Alex Stern, recommended your report."

See if you can't swap out run-of-the-mill verbs for more vibrant verbs.

Bad: "I was asked questions by the Board about my proposal."

First, let's make it an active, not passive sentence.

Better: "The Board asked me questions about my proposal."

Now, let's use the real verb in the sentence.

Best: "The Board questioned me about the proposal." (I changed the second last word, "my", to "the" because the repetition of me and my weighed the sentence down.)

Write in active, not passive, voice, and use strong verbs and watch your writing sing.