Start headings and sentences with a verb. Verbs lend energy to content and keep your readers involved.
For more information, see Verbs.
Preferred |
Discouraged |
Choose solutions that increase efficiency. |
The solutions that you choose can increase efficiency. |
Equalize communications at all locations. |
Provide remote locations with headquarters-level communications. |
Meet the needs and the preferences of your customers with the right strategy and solutions. |
The right strategy and solutions can help you meet the needs and the preferences of your customers. |
Use the active voice. Let the person or the object that performs the action be the subject of the sentence. Active voice keeps your readers involved and also reduces character count.
For more information, see Voice, active and passive.
Preferred |
Discouraged |
With the Call Admission Control: Bandwidth Management feature, you can specify the VoIP bandwidth limit between any pair of IP network regions. |
With the Call Admission Control: Bandwidth Management feature, the VoIP bandwidth limit between any pair of IP network regions can be specified by the customer. |
Communication Manager supports open standards such as H.323 Call Control and H.248 Media Gateway Control. |
Open standards such as H.323 Call Control and H.248 Media Gateway Control are supported by Communication Manager. |
Use the second person, you. Speak directly to your target audience, and thus keep your readers involved.
For more information, see Person.
Preferred |
Discouraged |
You can press a single button to record conversations. |
Users can press a single button to record conversations. |
As a supervisor, you can access reports. |
Supervisors can access reports. |
In almost all instances, use the simple tense, especially the simple present tense. Simple tense simplifies your content, and present tense gives the sense of real time to your readers. Simple tense also reduces character count.
For more information, see Tense.
Preferred |
Discouraged |
Communication Manager operates on the new Avaya media servers. |
Communication Manager will operate on the new Avaya media servers. |
Enterprises with campus environments and branch offices can build flexible communications networks and manage the networks from a central location. |
Enterprises with campus environments and branch offices will be able to build flexible communications networks and manage the networks from a central location. |
