Developing a Professional Voice

Students enter school to pursue a professional career. A professional is someone who has recognized ability, has confidence, is responsible, has belief in himself/herself, earns respect by his/her behavior, is honorable, is trustworthy, and demonstrates these traits constantly (has a reputation) (“What is a Professional?” par. 3).

In entry level composition courses, students work at developing a professional voice in their writing. The writing of a professional demonstrates ability, confidence, responsibility, self-belief, honor, and trustworthiness, earning the writer respect and a reputation. Good writing is good because it has these traits, and when it does, it sounds professional.

Students come to school with their personal voice, the voice they use with their family and friends, casual and conversational, regional or ethnic, informal and a unique expression of their personality. This is often the voice that emerges from their writing.

However, professionals have their own unique voice, one that is often specific to their field of expertise. A medical professional might refer to a spontaneous pneumothorax, which the average person would know as a collapsed lung. Every profession has its own unique vocabulary and means of expression. But all professionals also have what might be called a generic professional voice, that professional voice they use with other professionals in different fields.

In composition courses, students learn to write in this generic professional voice, which will become the foundation for the professional voice they find in their respective careers. And, as students mature as writers, they also begin to overlay their unique personality on that generic professional voice to develop a voice that is both professional and uniquely their own.

Students who fail to develop a professional writing voice may be unable to find jobs or be promoted. Often, the first contact a prospective employer has with a candidate is a piece of writing, whether a resume or letter of application. Four year schools often require students to submit an essay as part of their acceptance procedures. It is crucial for every student to develop a professional voice.

For students just beginning to develop as professionals, the key is to model their writing voice after the voice they hear in their minds as they read and not the voice they hear when engaged in casual conversation.

Students whose writing models conversation typically use the common verbs of conversation: become, being, bring, do, give, get, go, hit, look, move, need, put, run, say, see, show, talk, tell, want. These verbs are used infrequently in writing.
Common phrases that indicate conversational style include "a lot," "like," "well," "very," "really," and "pretty".
Unless an essay is about a personal experience, avoid first and second person pronouns (I. me, my, you, your, yours, we, our, us) unless quoting their use in a source.
Avoid using the word "one" as an indefinite pronoun as in "One may wonder if Superman is real." It is rarely used that way, and when used inappropriately, creates grammar and usage problems.
In writing an academic essay, avoid self-reference, reference to the author's thinking or purpose, or references to the reader or process of reading. Do not use phrases like "I believe," "I think," "in my opinion," "Like I said before," "as stated above," "as stated previously," "It can be seen," "saying things," "it can be observed," "this saying can also be related to," "it can be said," or similar types of phrases. Instead, present a clear argument as a statement.
Finally, avoid clichés, which are overused phrases.

Common Clichés

Abundance of caution
All in one package
As a whole
Around the corner
At some point
At this very instant
Backbone of ____
Backwards and forwards
Bad shape
Beyond their wildest dreams
Bottom line
Breeding ground
Bring it home
Building blocks
Burning desire
Burying their faces
Butting heads
Can never be taken away
Carry a torch
Caught my eye
Cannot do this alone
Cart before the horse
Come to a crossroads
Couch potato
Couldn't help but...
Crack of dawn
Current predicament
Day to day basis
Dig ourselves out of the ditch
Dirty blond hair
Disappeared from their mind
Don't judge a book by its cover
Downside
Edge of your seat
Enough is enough
Every fiber of my being
Every story has its beginning and end
Eye of the beholder
Face the facts
Fake news
Falls by the wayside
Felt like an eternity
Fight to the death
Follows suit
Follow your dreams
Get a hold of
Get away with
Give up their dream
Glass ceiling
God closes one door and opens another
Golden years
Grab my attention
Hanging in the balance
Hardcore
Heart of the problem
History repeats itself
Hit/hit home (especially using "hit" as a synonym for "reach)
I would be lying if…
In a heartbeat
In shambles
It comes down to
Jam packed
Join hands
Keep on your toes
Lack thereof
Lend a hand
Lingers in the air
Literally
Little to no consequence
Long overdue
Long story short
Makes all the difference
Makes sense
Money is tight
No good will come of it
Not knowing what to expect
Not to mention
Odds are stacked against
On one's shoulders
On par/up to par
One thing led to another
Or in the words of "a thing" to mean in a relationship
Out the window
Over their heads
Pausing to catch one's breath
Peace of mind
perfectly understandable
Pick apart
Pick at
Piling up
Placed on the shoulders
Plants a bomb
Point fingers
Pour through my head/fingers
Pushed under the rug
Rewinds
Right direction
Right now
Rings true
Roll out the red carpet
Rolling on the floor with laughter
Rug ripped out from under you
Run the risk
Safe to say
Scratch and claw
Scratch that
Shed light
Shining brighter
Shove x in y's face
show them the ropes
Slight chill in the air
Some kind of action
Spit and polish
Spot on
Step in the right direction
Struggling economy
Stuff
Sunlight creeps through the blinds/windows
Take a stand
Take hold of the reins
Take some time
Taste of their own medicine
Team effort
That being said
The road less traveled
The world throws at them
Think twice
Throw caution to the wind
Time flies
Time is up (time to die)
Time to act
To a T
To be honest
To this day
Tug at the heart
Turn back the clock
Turns out
Two-side sword
Uncertainties in life
Up and coming
Upper hand
Vibe
Walk the earth
Wasting time
What seemed like forever
Whole truth
With a little luck