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Do you get the results you want from colleagues, clients and top management? Today, more than ever, you must write clearly, concisely, and compellingly. Business writing skills are even more crucial during an uncertain economy, when people have no time for wasted words or miscommunications.
Organized, logical and persuasive writing breaks through the clutter. Effective professional writing engages your audience, prompts action and delivers results.
Covering everything from basic grammar to advanced principles of influence, Jane Ranshaw's business writing on-site seminars, webinars and coaching services show you how to succeed. Learn how to deliver compelling and effective business e-mails, memos, reports and proposals!
Jane Ranshaw & Associates, Inc., is a Chicago-based consulting firm specializing in communications and training. I am proud of a history of high-quality service and customer satisfaction, and I will do everything I can to meet your expectations.
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Why Active Voice Rules!
In an article in the
November-December 2004 issue of the SCBWI Bulletin, physician and
children’s author Kathryn Sant describes what neuroscientists learned by taking
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans of readers’ brains:
“. . . researchers have discovered
that if a person reads an active verb, not only do the sections of the brain
dealing with language light up, but the motor part of the brain relevant to
that verb’s action also lights up. The brain responds in the exact way it would
if the person had just performed that action himself. If a reader reads that a
character ran or jumped, the reader’s motor cortex controlling their legs
lights up.”
Research has shown that active
sentences are easier to read and remember than passive sentences. Sentences
written with the active voice generally tell readers who did what to whom. In
the passive voice, however, the information about who is performing an
action—that is, the agent of the action—may be missing from the sentence. This
loss of information makes the sentence less clear to the reader. The more
passive sentences a text contains, the harder it is to understand.
The passive voice is used widely in scientific
and technical documents. Many people believe that using the passive voice helps
their writing seem more professional or scientific in tone. However, you do not
need to use the passive voice to write professionally. The use of active voice
is now common in many scientific journals. In fact, some professional
publications like Science Magazine specifically request that contributors use
the active voice whenever suitable.
