Most people don’t realise how unclear their writing is. Clear writing isn’t just about grammar or big words. It’s about stripping away the clutter so your message gets through. If your writing is cloudy, your meaning gets lost. Take a fresh look at your last email or
Matthew Butterick has a great website and book called Typography for Lawyers. Inspired by that, here is lesson 1 of typography for accountants. You can make your documents clearer and easier to read with some simple changes that will take you less than 5 minutes. The secret lies in making
What can accountants learn from writers? Great writers don’t just write—they read, a lot. They learn what works and what doesn’t and sharpen their own skills. Accountants who want to communicate more clearly should borrow this habit. Next time you read a finance report (or anything) written
Don’t write your finance reports like detective stories. Don’t make your reader sift through pages and pages of clues before the real findings and recommendations are revealed on the final page. This problem–cause–solution approach where you describe the problem/issue, then explain why it has occurred
When you write about finance you need to be in the top left quadrant of the above chart. How do you do that? You put the bottom line up front. Tell the reader right at the beginning what your key message is. You’re not writing a mystery story. if
The conversation about AI in accounting is louder than ever. But here’s what hasn’t changed: insight is the most valuable skill an accountant can offer. And insight requires real thought. AI can process data at lightning speed and spot patterns you might miss, but that’s not the
If you’re an auditor or accountant, numbers are everywhere in your writing. But it’s not just about choosing between “5” or “five.” Being clear, consistent, and smart about how you use numbers can make a big difference in how your message lands. If your numbers aren’t clear,
The way people read has changed and so should the way we write. When newspapers first went online, journalists wrote articles in the same way they always had. This meant articles were often split across several webpages with a button at the bottom of each page to go to the
For some people hell is other people. For me, it’s other people’s PowerPoint slides. We’ve all sat through bad presentations. * Too many words. * Tiny charts. * The presenter reading every word out loud. * Or looking at the screen, not at us. They're boring. They're
Want to write finance content that actually gets read? Start with the 3Ls of financial writing: language, layout and look. * Language – Use plain English to explain your ideas and messages without dumbing them down. * Layout – Structure your content so the message is clear at a glance. * Look – Make your document