Technical Writing For Dummies by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts

Author:Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Use a tone that’s appropriate

Following are some issues to keep in mind regarding tone and terminology. Check out Chapter 6 for a wealth of information about what is and isn’t appropriate. Here are a few highlights:

Use technical terms cautiously. Don’t use technical terms unless you’re sure that the executive reading the report is familiar with them. Not all executives have technical backgrounds, so this is where the Technical Brief is valuable to understand your reader.

Show a positive attitude. This makes me think of a story in The Art of Possibility (Harvard Business School Press), written by Rosamond Stone Zander and Ben Zander. It tells of two shoe factory scouts sent to Africa to prospect business. One scout sends a telegram saying, SITUATION HOPELESS [STOP] NO ONE WEARS SHOES. The other sends a telegram saying, GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY [STOP] THEY HAVE NO SHOES. If these headlines were presented in an Executive Summary as “Findings,” which would please the executive? It’s a no-brainer.

Use the active voice. The active voice is stronger and more alive than the passive voice. For example, the active voice says, “Malcolm will present his findings next Friday.” When you use the active voice, you place the focus on the doer of the action. When you use the passive voice, you place your focus on the action, nor the doer. The passive voice is dull and weak, as you see in the following sentence: “The findings will be presented by Malcolm next Friday.”

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