Writing in 2nd Person

I have been writing in 2nd person for the majority of the last decade, mostly because it just felt better. But just the other day I realized exactly why it is the right voice to use for technical documentation. (It's rather astonishing how long it took, in retrospect.) 

For starters, let's understand that there is a right time to use 3rd person. For example, a functional specification written by a designer properly uses the third person to describe things:

"The user does this, the program does that."

But a manual that is read by the user should necessarily use second person. The user is, after all, the audience for whom that particular material is intended:

"You do this, the program does that."

So in this post (intended for writers) I talk about the user (3rd person) but when I'm speaking to you I say:

"You should use 2nd person."

It only makes sense. I'm writing to you, after all.

I don't say:

"The writer should use 2nd person"

That would just be confusing. The 2nd person exhortation tells you exactly what you should do. The 3rd person version is somewhat mystifying--kind of makes you want to look over your shoulder to see if I'm talking to someone else.

But if you really think that 3rd person is the "proper" voice for communcating, try using it in your next communique to your boss:

"The manager should be informed that our work is progressing nicely. The manager will undoubtedly be pleased with this information.

Or better, yet, use it in the next few messages to your buddies:

"I'm looking forward to meeting the friend for dinner.
 I'll see the friend at 6:30 tonight.

Hopefully, before you reach the point that you're out of a job and have no friends, it will have dawned on you  that you communicate much more clearly and effectively when you use the 2nd person. 

After all, communication is the name of the game.