# Voice and tone

* Use voice and tone that's conversational, friendly, and respectful.
* Use voice that is s casual and natural and approachable.
* Don't try to be super-entertaining, but also don't aim for super-dry.&#x20;
* Be human, let your personality show, be memorable; you can even be a little funny now and then. Remember that the primary purpose of the document is to provide information to someone who's looking for it.

## Avoid where possible

Buzzwords or technical jargon.

Placeholder phrases like "please note" and "at this time."

Choppy or long-winded sentences.

Starting all sentences with the same phrase (such as "You can" or "To do").

Using phrases like "simply" or "It's that simple" or "It's easy" in a procedure, unless it's an extraordinarily simple/easy procedure.

## Some techniques and approaches to consider

* If you're having trouble expressing something, step back and ask yourself, "What am I trying to say?"
* When documenting, just don't document the "how-to". Also focus on "Why" and "So what?"
* If you're uncertain about your phrasing or tone, ask someone to take a look.
* If you're having trouble hitting the right tone, make sure you're communicating useful information in a clear and direct way; that's the most important part.
* Politeness and use of "please". It's great to be polite, but using "please" in a set of instructions is overdoing the politeness. **Not recommended**: To view the document, please click View. **Recommended**: To view the document, click View.
