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“The donut was eaten.”
Notice how we can’t tell who ate the donut. That’s called passive voice.
Being clear about who is doing what and when (the 3 components of a task) is critical for getting things done. Direct, clear and concise communication is essential in the professional world.
It’s imperative to ensure that your writing is as understandable to your readers as it is to you. Just because it makes sense to you doesn’t guarantee others will interpret it the same way. Most people never learn to write clearly.
How can you recognize passive voice? When people use passive voice, they omit the “doer.”
This is often subconscious, but the effect is the same—it becomes harder to figure out what’s happening and who is responsible. The result of using passive voice is a message with unclear action.
Importance of Eliminating Passive Voice in Professional Environments
Remember, every task and action must have a clear owner. Compare “I moved this” with “This was moved,” or “Dennis and I are recording” versus “Recording is happening.”
It is a little tough to catch it all the time, but in a business setting, we must eliminate all usage of passive voice– especially when coordinating a project or speaking with a client. Every action must have a clear owner that comes first, and each project needs someone responsible for completing a task- adhering to the RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) model.
Thinking in passive voice significantly reduces your effectiveness and accountability. It’s more serious than mixing up “your” with “you’re” or using “ums” in speech. Passive voice strips actions of ownership, making it difficult to trace who did what, hence leading to confusion.
Here are a few real-world examples we’ve picked from emails, with corrections:
1. “Call has already been booked.” vs. “I booked the call, it’s Thursday at 10.”
Who booked the call? I booked the call.
2. “This email is to confirm that this account is at inbox zero.” vs. “This is Bob confirming that this account is at inbox zero.”
Who sent this email? Bob sent the email.
3. “More updates to come as these get closed out.” vs. “I will provide more updates as these get closed out.”
Who should we expect updates from? I will send them.
4. “This thread was moved here” vs. “I moved the thread to here.”
Who moved the thread? I did.
This is less about being picky with grammatical rules and more about being action-oriented.
Passive voice often comes from a mindset of unaccountability, where it’s someone else’s fault, and we don’t step up as owners of our actions.
Do you now see how using direct language ensures everyone is on the same page?
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations.
He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications.
Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries.
Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.