What you don't know about active and passive voice may be putting your readers to sleep or making them suspicious of you and your ideas or product. A sentence written in the active voice is the straight-shooting sheriff who faces the gunslinger proudly and fearlessly. A sentence written in passive voice is the shifty desperado who tries to win the gunfight by shooting the sheriff in the back, stealing his horse, and sneaking out of town. In early April, all applications will be reviewed by the committee. Passive writing is popular in business because it helps the writer avoid responsibility and remain anonymous.
Customers are suspicious of writing that evades responsibility.
Employees and managers distrust ideas that appear more vague than strong. Cut unneeded words and prune windy phrases. Businessese is language we use not because it is clear or effective, but because we get into the habit of using it. Businessese promotes lazy, self-important writing. Consider these precise, everyday substitutes for businessese words Find out instead of ascertain Send out instead of disseminate Use instead of utilize Plan instead of strategize Best instead of optimum Doublespeak is finding a complicated, highfalutin way of saying a simple phrase.