Yesterday the company that supplies our energy sent me an email to tell me the amount of my monthly direct debit will change. Both the old and the new monthly amounts are shown to the penny. This suggests a level of accuracy in their estimation models than is justified by
<p>Want your documents to look more professional? Here’s a simple way to make your documents look more professional in under 5 minutes. </p> <p>The secret lies in making the body text look great because, let’s face it, there’s more
I like writing as a verb. I like to write: to think and express my thoughts as words on a page or screen. But I also like writing as a noun. I always have. I like the writing you find in museums, whether it is a handwritten journal, a typewritten
Tables in reports are helpful for presenting information but you need to help your reader to see your message. Formatting your table can help but too much formatting works against you. All you’re doing is adding clutter. In particular, don’t use “zebra striping” (where alternative rows are shaded
When writing about financial topics to non-financial people don't use technical terms or jargon. What I mean by this is not to use a term and then explain it. Don’t use the term at all. Just write what the term means because the reader doesn't
This poster hangs above my desk. It is a reminder to be willing to delete bad writing. I hope my ratio of good writing to bad is better than 1:99 but bad writing is bad writing. The lesson for us all is: • Always read what you write. • Delete everything
We begin to write by using short sentences. As we grow so do our sentences. By the time we are at work we think we need long, complex sentences to be professional. This leads us to a use jargon and unclear language. We end up writing without clarity and impact.
tips
I was recently interviewed for the Human, Too podcast. In the interview I talk about my career path, which began conventionally with jobs in accounting and audit in local government settings but, after 3 years as a finance director, it changed. The second half is more interesting. And later in
Here's a third clip from my appearance on the [Human Too podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/human-too-podcast/id1745305645?i=1000669962579) where I explain why I spend so much time and energy giving tips to accountants and auditors to improve their writing and presentation skills. Having great
Here's a second clip from my appearance the [Human Too podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/human-too-podcast/id1745305645?i=1000669962579) where I explain that being an introvert does not stop me from standing in front of a hundred people and talking. As well as being on the
I am the guest this week on Hannah Macdonald's [Human Too](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/human-too-podcast/id1745305645?i=1000669962579) podcast. It's a podcast that shows accountants are human, too. In this episode I discuss my career as a CIPFA accountant and how it divides
Write shorter reports instead. Long reports usually have an executive summary that is maybe only 1 or 2 per cent as long as the report. Isn't this an admission that 98% of the report is not needed by most readers, if not all of them? One thing you