Let me help you write more effectively

When I was a finance director I came to realise that I did not write very much. True, I would review reports and other documents created by the accountants and others who worked for me, but I rarely created a document. 

That grew to become more and more frustrating. Frustrating because it limited by ability to be creative and also because, often, the documents I was reviewing were not as well-written as they could be. I was caught in the place where I knew I could write the documents better but I did not have the time to do it. 

I knew the answer was for the finance staff to get some training in writing effectively. I left before I got around to organising that training. And for all these years since I have wanted to do something to help accountants to write more effectively.

You see, accounting is more about words than it is about numbers. It’s about communication, whether that is advising managers about a possible investment or telling the world about the organisation’s financial results.

I don’t think professional accounting institutions put enough emphasis on teaching their students how to write effectively. I also think there are other soft skills associated with being an accountant that are overlooked, such as presentation skills, negotiation skills and project management. I guess there is a hope that trainees and newly-qualified accountants will learn such skills “on-the-job”.

I am currently working on a set of online courses that will directly address these subjects, specifically for trainee and qualified accountants. I will announce them as soon as they are ready to launch.

Even before those courses are launched I have another product that is already available. It is one-to-one coaching, by me, about writing and presenting financial information.

You can benefit directly from my experience as an accountant, as a teacher and as a writer of textbooks and courses. Everyone’s needs are different. I can help you if you want to learn how to structure documents, or how to write succinctly, or how to format tables and charts so that their message is clear or all of these. I can also help you avoid death-by-Powerpoint and stand out from the crowd by making presentations that your audience will remember.

The coaching will adapt to suit you. You can book a single session just to learn some tips and tricks if you want, or a package of 3 or 6 sessions where I can work with you on specific documents or presentations to develop and improve your skills. Alternatively you can subscribe to a monthly plan for as long as you like.