English for Professional Purposes

Introduction

• Communication style profoundly shapes workplace relationships and organisational culture
• Active and passive voice serve distinct functions in the people management toolkit
• Strategic use of voice can:
  • Enhance clarity in professional communications
  • Shape team dynamics and engagement levels
  • Influence how authority is perceived
  • Impact the reception of feedback and difficult messages
  • Affect the resolution of workplace conflicts
  • Set the tone for organisational policies and procedures

Active voice: structure and function

• Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
• Focus: Emphasises the doer/agent of the action
• Characteristics in management context:
  • Assigns clear responsibility and ownership
  • Creates more personal, direct engagement
  • Conveys confidence and decisiveness
  • Provides greater emotional impact
  • Typically more concise and energetic
  • Can sound more authoritative or commanding

Passive voice: structure and function

• Structure: Object + “to be” + past participle (+ “by” + agent)
• Focus: Emphasises the action or the receiver of the action
• Characteristics in management context:
  • De-emphasises the doer/agent
  • Creates emotional distance and objectivity
  • Appears more formal or diplomatic
  • Can diffuse tension in sensitive discussions
  • Generally requires more words
  • Can sound more considered or deliberate

Recruitment and onboarding

Team building and engagement

Active voice examples:

• “We value your contributions to this project.”
• “The management team supports your professional development.”
• “You play a crucial role in our organisation’s success.”
• “Together, we can achieve our ambitious targets.”

Team building and engagement

Passive voice examples:

• “Your contributions to this project are valued.”
• “Professional development is supported by the management team.”
• “A crucial role in our organisation’s success is played by each team member.”
• “Our ambitious targets can be achieved through collaboration.”

Performance appraisals

Handling underperformance

• Initial conversations (often more passive):
  • “It’s been observed that deadlines have been missed recently.”
  • “The quality standards expected by clients are not being met.”
  • “Concerns have been raised about response times to customer enquiries.”
• Progressive discipline (becoming more active):
  • “Your work does not meet our quality standards.”
  • “You have missed three deadlines this month.”
  • “I need you to improve your customer response times immediately.”
• Formal documentation (often combines both):
  • “Performance targets have not been achieved for three consecutive quarters. You must improve in these specific areas…”

Disciplinary procedures

Restructuring and organisational change

• Announcing changes (passive often preferred):
  • Active: “We will reorganise the customer service department.”
  • Passive: “The customer service department will be reorganised.”
• Explaining redundancies:
  • Active: “We must eliminate ten positions due to budget constraints.”
  • Passive: “Ten positions must be eliminated due to budget constraints.”
• Change management communications:
  • Active: “You will need to adopt new procedures by next month.”
  • Passive: “New procedures will need to be adopted by next month.”

Giving feedback and coaching

• Positive feedback (active voice often more effective):
  • “You handled that difficult client brilliantly.”
  • “I appreciate how you supported your colleagues during the system outage.”
  • “You’ve made remarkable progress in developing your presentation skills.”
• Constructive criticism (passive voice can be more tactful):
  • “This report could be strengthened with more data analysis.”
  • “The client presentation was delivered too quickly.”
  • “Opportunities for more active listening were missed during the meeting.”
• Coaching questions (mostly active to promote ownership):
  • “How would you approach this differently next time?”
  • “What do you think you could do to improve this outcome?”

Conflict resolution

• Describing the issue:
  • Active: “You repeatedly interrupt colleagues during meetings.”
  • Passive: “Interruptions have occurred frequently during meetings.”
• Expressing feelings:
  • Active: “I feel frustrated when you miss our deadlines.”
  • Passive: “Frustration is experienced when deadlines are missed.”
• Requesting changes:
  • Active: “Please notify me before making changes to the schedule.”
  • Passive: “Notification should be given before schedule changes are made.”
• Finding solutions:
  • Active: “We need to establish a new communication protocol.”
  • Passive: “A new communication protocol needs to be established.”

Managing remote teams

Formal communications and policies

• Company policies (predominantly passive):
  • “Annual leave must be requested at least two weeks in advance.”
  • “Performance reviews will be conducted bi-annually.”
  • “Expense reports must be submitted by the 5th of each month.”
• Legal notifications (predominantly passive):
  • “It is hereby notified that employment terms have been revised.”
  • “Confidential information must not be shared with unauthorised parties.”
• Rationale: Passive voice in formal communications:
  • Creates a sense of authority and objectivity
  • Establishes rules that apply universally
  • Removes personal elements from institutional policies
  • Aligns with traditional formal business writing conventions

Exit management

Project management communications

• Delegating tasks:
  • Active: “Sarah, please complete the market analysis by Friday.”
  • Passive: “The market analysis needs to be completed by Friday.”
• Status updates:
  • Active: “The development team has finished the first phase.”
  • Passive: “The first phase has been completed by the development team.”
• Managing missed deadlines:
  • Active: “You’ve missed the deadline for the financial report.”
  • Passive: “The deadline for the financial report has been missed.”
• Project post-mortems:
  • Active: “We failed to anticipate the technical challenges.”
  • Passive: “The technical challenges were not adequately anticipated.”

Cross-cultural management

• High power distance cultures:
  • May expect more passive voice from subordinates as a sign of respect
  • Active voice from managers reinforces authority
  • Example: “The procedure must be followed exactly as outlined.”
• Indirect communication cultures:
  • Often prefer passive voice for criticism and sensitive topics
  • Example: “It was noticed that the report contained several errors.”
• British vs. American business English:
  • British English traditionally uses more passive constructions in formal business contexts
  • Example (UK): “It would be appreciated if this matter could be addressed promptly.”
  • Example (US): “Please address this matter promptly.”

Exercise: transforming active to passive

Active to passive: question 1

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 1

“Our budget proposal was rejected by the board.”

Active to passive: question 2

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 2

“The new wellbeing programme will be implemented (by HR) next quarter.”

Active to passive: question 3

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 3

“Your sales targets have been consistently missed (by you).”

Active to passive: question 4

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 4

“An excellent disaster recovery plan was created by the IT team.”

Active to passive: question 5

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 5

“All department heads are required to submit monthly reports (by me).”

Active to passive: question 6

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 6

“A major restructuring plan was announced (by the CEO) yesterday.”

Active to passive: question 7

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 7

“All performance objectives were exceeded by our team this year.”

Active to passive: question 8

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 8

“Exit interviews should be conducted in person (by the manager).”

Active to passive: question 9

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 9

“Three candidates have been shortlisted by the recruitment team.”

Active to passive: question 10

Convert this management statement to passive voice:

Active to passive: answer 10

“The compliance training must be completed by Friday.”

Exercise: transforming passive to active

Passive to active: question 1

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 1

“We will provide training opportunities to all staff members.”

Passive to active: question 2

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 2

“Someone made mistakes in the financial forecast.”

Passive to active: question 3

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 3

“Management has decided to postpone the office relocation.”

Passive to active: question 4

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 4

“I expect everyone to contribute to the discussion.”

Passive to active: question 5

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 5

“We have received complaints about the new shift system.”

Passive to active: question 6

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 6

“HR is implementing a new performance review system across all departments.”

Passive to active: question 7

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 7

“The steering committee extended the project deadline.”

Passive to active: question 8

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 8

“You must not share sensitive information with unauthorised parties.”

Passive to active: question 9

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 9

“Management will determine annual bonuses by individual performance.”

Passive to active: question 10

Convert this management statement to active voice:

Passive to active: answer 10

“Leadership took the decision without proper consultation.”

The “have something done” structure in management communications

Introduction to “have something done”

• Basic structure: Subject + have/has/had + object + past participle
• Purpose: Indicates that someone arranges for or causes an action to be performed by someone else
• Example: “The manager had the report prepared by the team.”
• Key function: Shows delegation, responsibility, or causation
• In management context: Often used to indicate:
  • Delegation of tasks
  • Outsourcing of work
  • Assignment of responsibilities
  • Arrangement of services

When to use “have something done”

• For delegation processes:
  • “I’ll have the IT department set up your access.”
  • “The director had her assistant organise the conference.”
• For outsourced services:
  • “We had an external consultant review our processes.”
  • “The company had the office redesigned by an architect.”
• For mandatory actions:
  • “Employees must have their timesheets approved by Friday.”
  • “You’ll need to have your security credentials updated annually.”
• For facilitation rather than direct action:
  • “The HR director had the policy distributed to all staff.”
  • “Let’s have the finance team prepare the quarterly reports.”

“Have something done” vs. active/passive voice

Management benefits of “have something done”

• Shows effective delegation:
  • Demonstrates leadership through others
  • Indicates trust in team capabilities
  • Shows coordination rather than micromanagement
• Clarifies chain of responsibility:
  • Makes clear who initiated the action
  • Can show who performed the action
  • Maintains manager’s accountability while showing delegation
• Communicates management style:
  • Shows an empowering rather than controlling approach
  • Indicates collaborative processes
  • Demonstrates effective use of organisational resources

People management contexts for “have something done”

Common structures in management communications

• Arranging services:
  • “We’ve had the training room renovated.”
  • “I’ll have your laptop upgraded.”
• Mandatory processes:
  • “All employees must have their expenses approved by their manager.”
  • “You need to have your certification renewed by next month.”
• Delivering bad news:
  • “I’ve had your project reassigned to another team.”
  • “Management had several positions eliminated.”
• Positive recognition:
  • “The CEO had your contribution mentioned in the newsletter.”
  • “I’ve had your promotion approved by HR.”

“Have something done” in different tenses

Exercise: transforming to “have something done”

“Have something done”: question 1

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 1

“The manager has the monthly report written (by the team).”

“Have something done”: question 2

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 2

“We have our software upgraded (by the IT department).”

“Have something done”: question 3

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 3

“We have our marketing materials designed by an external agency.”

“Have something done”: question 4

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 4

“The department manager has the training sessions organised by the team leader.”

“Have something done”: question 5

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 5

“The hiring manager has all job applications reviewed by HR.”

“Have something done”: question 6

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 6

“Employees have their expense claims processed by the finance department.”

“Have something done”: question 7

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 7

“Managers have meeting rooms booked by the assistant.”

“Have something done”: question 8

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 8

“The company has all contracts checked by the legal team.”

“Have something done”: question 9

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 9

“We have our presentations created by the graphic designer.”

“Have something done”: question 10

Transform this active sentence into a “have something done” structure:

“Have something done”: answer 10

“The management team has our performance evaluated by consultants.”

Using “have something done” effectively in management

Best practices:

• Use when you want to emphasise delegation and coordination
• Clarify who is actually performing the task when necessary
• Consider how the structure affects tone and perceived responsibility
• Use appropriately based on organisational hierarchy and culture

Using “have something done” effectively in management

Caveats:

• Avoid when direct responsibility should be emphasised
• Be aware that it can sometimes sound distanced or bureaucratic
• Consider whether active or passive voice might be more appropriate
• Ensure the structure doesn’t obscure important information about who is doing what

Voice selection in different management styles

Voice in managing workplace wellbeing

Best practices for people managers

Choose active voice when:

• Building personal connections with team members
• Giving recognition and positive feedback
• Demonstrating decisive leadership
• Delegating clear responsibilities
• Expressing personal opinions or experiences
• Creating engagement and motivation

Best practices for people managers

Choose passive voice when:

• Delivering sensitive feedback
• Creating emotional distance in conflicts
• Establishing formal policies
• Communicating difficult organisational decisions
• Focusing on processes rather than people
• Presenting a neutral, objective perspective

Conclusion: strategic voice selection

• Voice selection is a subtle but powerful management tool
• Effective people managers adapt voice based on:
  • The specific management context
  • The relationship with the team member
  • The sensitivity of the subject matter
  • Cultural and organisational factors
  • The desired emotional impact
  • The balance needed between clarity and diplomacy

Conclusion: strategic voice selection

• The most skilled managers move fluidly between active and passive
• The ultimate goal is clear, effective communication that achieves management objectives while maintaining positive working relationships