Advice, evidence, everyone's got some, including us (that's presumably why you're here, after all). Nicola shared some good advice from John Kay on Monday. All very useful but it did get me thinking - sometimes we can't always take advice, even if we want to. The problem with evidence-based advice is that it has to overcome the barriers presented by tradition and long-established practice.

Kay's words on the passive voice struck a chord with me, having experienced its vice-like grip on academic writing. Even in the social sciences, which supposedly pay more philosophical attention to the problems of the dispassionate author, the passive voice remains the norm. When I first wrote a research paper directly relating *my* opinions and experiences - "I think that...I conclude etc" - my (otherwise excellent) supervisor got to work with the biro:

Use the passive voice when writing academically

I'm now clear in my own mind that the faux-science of the passive voice obscures the part the author plays in interpreting the data, and with it the possibility for alternative explanations. However, at the time of writing my paper I wasn't strong enough to argue the case, so beat a temporary retreat from my supervisor's ire. I resolved to get a better understanding of the literature in order to be better placed to argue my case when the issue arose again.

Whether adopting the first person own voice, purging pie charts or binning bullet points, the lesson is worth remembering: change is hard enough for ourselves, persuading someone else to do so is even harder.

Particularly when it's the boss.

They will almost certainly resist change in the short term, even after you've laid out the evidence. Highly embedded presentation practices are not revolutionised overnight - it's a long haul. Tradition holds sway over evidence.

So if your attempts to overturn the established order are rebuffed, don't be (too) disappointed. It's normal. What's more, it will force you to sharpen your arguments for your next try. It may take a long campaign for you to get your way. But if you do it you will have made a worthwhile change to the way you or your organisation communicate.

Unfortunately, I've no magic bullets to provide in this endeavour other than persistence and hard work.

But maybe you have some tips on how new advice and evidence can overcome tradition?