Fundamentals of Technical Writing: Clarity and Readability
Author: Ryan Standil
| CPE Credit: |
2 hours for CPAs |
In this course, we will focus on explaining accounting and finance concepts in a crystal-clear fashion, especially to readers who are not experts in the fields.
We will begin by examining strategies for delivering technical information in writing. While everything in your writing is obvious to you, the person on the receiving end may lack formal training in accounting (or lack familiarity with your particular file). Therefore, CPAs must bridge this gap in understanding.
As Warren Buffett famously expressed, “When writing Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report, I pretend that I’m talking to my sisters: Though highly intelligent, they are not experts in accounting or finance. … My goal is simply to give them the information I would wish them to supply me if our positions were reversed.”
By the end of this course, you will have a specific how-to guide for accomplishing Mr. Buffett’s goal.
Additionally, we will explore ways to go beyond achieving clarity, by also mastering readability. “Readability” refers to a state in which your emails and documentation are not only free of ambiguity, but they are also effortless for readers to digest.
Publication Date: November 2025
Designed For
This course is intended for CPAs and finance professionals who are required to explain technical concepts through written forms of communication.
Topics Covered
- Explaining Technical Concepts to Non-Experts
- Knowing Your Audience
- Being Mindful of Jargon
- Determining the Appropriate Starting Point
- Honing Specific Strategies
- Seven Steps for Crafting Readable Emails and Documentation
- Monitoring Sentence Length
- Using Words of Quantity
- Referencing Other Sections
- Repeating Key Terms
- Maintaining a Consistent Order
- Choosing Names and Labels
- Guiding Your Reader Through Complex Material
Learning Objectives
- State the appropriate amount of context on accounting or finance concepts
- Determine how to adjust your communication based on your audience’s technical knowledge
- Determine how to begin your explanations with your main point
- Determine how to deliver “familiar information” before “unfamiliar information”
- Explain how to use examples to make your writing more vivid
- Identify the limits of a reader’s working memory
- Identify the optimal length of sentences
- Determine whether to refer to an earlier part of your writing or to repeat certain information explicitly
- Determine whether to describe individuals and entities by their names or by other labels, such as “taxpayer,” “Holdco,” “trustee,” etc.
Level
Basic
Instructional Method
Self-Study
NASBA Field of Study
Business Management & Organization (2 hours)
Program Prerequisites
None
Advance Preparation
None
