There’s a common misconception that defaulting to a bureaucratic tone of voice full of long words, long sentences and longer paragraphs makes you sound smart and confident. Nope. The best way to convey maturity and professionalism is to express yourself clearly and succinctly.

If you’re writing on behalf of a brand, imagine it’s a person having a conversation with another. By keeping the rules of conversation and speech in mind, you won’t alienate your reader.

Write like you speak – but speak well.