One-Minute Communications Tips Archive
March 2010

Why Active Voice Is Better

When you hear "Michelle Jones and Tony Myers made the presentation," what picture pops into your mind?

Probably a picture of Michelle and Tony standing up and presenting.

That's what a sentence in the active voice does. It plants an image directly in your mind.

Now consider the same sentence, rendered in the passive voice: "The presentation was made by Michelle Jones and Tony Myers." What image does that sentence create?

The image doesn't materialize as readily. There's a bit of a fog for a fraction of a second, then the fog clears and the same picture as above emerges.

That's why the mind prefers receiving information in the active voice. It has an easier time processing the information.

Whenever possible, write and speak in the active voice in your business communications. Unless, of course, you need to hide the perpetrator: "The laser printer was accidentally broken during the office party."
 

© Arun Sinha, Access Communications. Access Communications is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Communications's One-Minute Communication Tip at http://www.AccessConsultingInc.com. Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of business communications, distilled into about 150 words.

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