I write the way I'd say it across a table. Plain, short, a little dry. If a sentence sounds like it came from a brochure, it goes. It's the anti-guru voice: practical over profound, evidence over hype, and happy to admit the awkward bit.
Seven principles
- First person. I, me, my. It's my brand and my name on the work. Only say "we" when there really is a team: client work delivered with the client's people (a fractional CTO deck, a joint plan) is a team, so "we" is right there. Address the reader as "you" on the web; on client slides prefer "we" and the client's name over "you".
- British English. Organisation, programme, colour, optimise. Dates as 26 Sept 2026.
- Sentence case for headlines, buttons, navigation and titles. Capitals only for names and eyebrows.
- Short, two-beat lines. Say the thing, then turn it. Two short sentences beat one long one.
- Dry humour, sparingly. One wry line per piece, at most. It earns trust because it's rare.
- No em dashes. Use a full stop, a comma or a slash. It keeps the rhythm clipped and human.
- No exclamation marks in headlines. Confidence doesn't need them. Calm is the point.
Mechanics
- Punctuation: full stops end headlines. Slashes join levels: "01 / Experience in practice". Middle dots separate lists: "Strategy · Operating models · Delivery".
- Numbers: figures, not words: "20+ years", "5 roles". Two-digit numbering for sections: 01, 02. Never invent a figure; a number on a slide or page must come from a source you can name.
- Dates and places: "16 Feb 2026". "Dubai, UAE · Working across borders".
- Names: Keith de Alwis, lowercase "de". AI, DPI, DPG and CTO stay in capitals.
- Arrows end link labels:
↗away,↓down the page or download,→next. No emoji.
Use and avoid
| Use | Avoid |
|---|---|
| I | We (unless it's a real team) |
| Organisation, programme | Organization, program |
| Useful, practical | Game-changing, revolutionary |
| Build, run, help | Leverage, synergise, empower |
| AI that does real work | Unlock the power of AI |
| People, teams | Resources, headcount |
| Let's talk ↗ | Contact us today! |
| 20+ years | Decades of passion |
| Digital employees | AI ninjas, rockstars |
| Shared foundations | Thought leadership |
In practice
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| Unlock the transformative power of AI for your business today! | Move from AI possibilities to useful applications. |
| We deliver end-to-end, best-in-class transformation solutions. | See the whole. Move the parts. |
| Reach out to schedule a discovery call with our team. | Bring an idea, a challenge, or a different perspective. ↗ |
Dry humour, once: "Sorry. This is the bit where I interrupt you. You were happily looking around and now I'm asking for your email. Awkward."
Plain promise: "Market shifts. Useful tools. No motivational nonsense. Just a useful Sunday read to make Monday slightly less painful."
Real headlines
- Hero: "Real-world technology. Extraordinary outcomes."
- Chapter: "20+ years building what comes next. Now, that means AI."
- Section: "Many roles. One connected perspective."
- Deck: "Build something bigger than us." / "See the whole. Move the parts."
- Client slide: "Six layers. One backbone, from the MVP onwards."
- Closing: "What could we make possible?"
Names
- The person: Keith de Alwis (the logo is lowercase; never retype it as a logo).
- Ventures: Ascendancy IQ (AI-native organisation lab), The Sunday Blueprint (weekly newsletter, every Sunday), the notebook (the blog), Think deeply. Share openly. (podcast).