Dear Bob ...I understand the point you are making with the rule about avoiding the passive voice in business writing (in "Sounding smarter," Keep the Joint Running, 11/27/2006). I also believe it is a powerful tool for consultants in the correct circumstances. The key is assessing the goal of the communication.Consultants often have to get work done through a client's resources.That means the consultant's succes Dear Bob …I understand the point you are making with the rule about avoiding the passive voice in business writing (in “Sounding smarter,” Keep the Joint Running, 11/27/2006). I also believe it is a powerful tool for consultants in the correct circumstances. The key is assessing the goal of the communication.Consultants often have to get work done through a client’s resources. That means the consultant’s success is measured by the ability to get client resources to produce what is needed. The stick of the project’s Executive Sponsor is always available but is a last resort. The carrot is getting the client resource to want to do what is needed. The passive voice can be used maintain the client resources desire to work with the consultant when things go wrong.The passive voice’s power is identifying a problem without assigning blame. This allows the problem to be addressed without having to deal with blame game issues. That often allows for the resolution of a problem faster.Take an example of a software project where software must be installed by a client administrator. The installation is completed incorrectly because the administrator didn’t follow the installation instructions. The consultant discovers the problem, but only the client administrator has the access rights to correct the problem. The consultant could write or say to the client administrator, “You set the permissions wrong so the software can’t access all the files it needs. You need to reset the permissions.” That is the active voice all the way but could cause the administrator to focus on defending the installation rather than fixing the problem.The alternative is to write or say to the client administrator, “The file permissions have become set so the software can’t access all the files it needs. Please reset the permissions and let me know when you’re finished so I can retest.” In this case, the passive voice states the problem without addressing who caused the problem. The action needed is stated in the active voice to emphasize who does the remediation.Either scenario may be correct depending on the situation. If the relationship is good or there is a need to address the cause of the problem so it doesn’t happen again, use the active voice all the way. If the relationship or political environment is such that addressing who caused the issue will take time away from addressing the issue and knowing the responsible party provides no value, use the passive voice to state the problem and the active voice to state the resolution. The key is to decide what the sentence is to accomplish and how the likely emotional reaction will affect that goal. Don’t rule out the passive voice when it is useful. Use it when you don’t want to assign ownership. If ownership is needed to accomplish the goal, use the active voice.– Passive AggressiveDear Passive … While no rule is absolute, I don’t see your example as a valid instance. If your goal is to avoid assigning blame, the solution is to pay no attention at all to how the mess was created. Just say (or write), “To get the software to work, just reset the permissions – that should take care of the symptoms we’re seeing. Please let me know when you’re done so I can re-test.”I also have an unsolicited suggestion: Stop calling the men and women who are responsible for doing your clients’ important work “resources.” While it’s certainly better than calling them “liabilities” it’s still a dehumanizing term.If you’re looking for an alternative, I generally use either “staff” or “employees.” – Bob Technology Industry