Tone and addressing the reader
- Address the reader directly as "you" wherever the text is instructional or service-facing.
- Use "they"/"their" for third-person references, not "he"/"she".
- Aim for a voice that is clear, concise, and even-toned. Avoid subjective or emotive adjectives that read as spin.
- Drop "please" and "please note" — state the instruction plainly instead.
- Never write long stretches of text in block capitals.
- Never carry over offensive or discriminatory language from a source document. Flag it to whoever commissioned the edit, rather than quietly reproducing or silently deleting it.
- If a document refers to "we", make sure the organisation has been named in full first, unless the context already makes it obvious.
Last reviewed
26-09-2026