CLARITY IN WRITTEN COMMMUNICATIONS - Analysts

This course is designed to help financial analysts write clear, concise and accurate notes, topped by attractive headlines and initial paragraphs to deliver interesting messages. It commits participants to using techniques that improve delivery, for example by mirroring the way journalists to grasp reader attention.  Emphasis is placed on producing high quality, easy-to-understand research creating a clear buy/sell message, solid context and interesting reader-oriented writing. It is biased towards active learning, asking participants to write their way through an evolving case study and also addresses the needs of reflection, theory and pragmatic learners. The course begins with pre-course reading and is completed with the delivery of post-course action plans. It may be expanded with an interviewing unit.

Course Objectives - writing skills 

After completing the course, participants can expect to be able to:

1. •Assemble research notes that become a magnet for the industry
   

2. •Attract interest to strategic research from the financial media
   

3. •Write clear, concise copy of appropriate length to attract busy fund managers
   

4. •Break from formulaic writing by eradicating jargon and acronyms
   

5. •Use good headlines, keywords and golden quotes to hook readers quickly
   

6. •Enliven first paragraph writing with strong active verbs and less clauses
   

7. •Lace legal language in formal communications with explanatory writing
   

8. •Use context to explain the significance of a communication
   

9. •Deploy story structures and writing pyramids to maintain reader interest
   

10. •Tighten messages by eradicating tautology, clauses, adjectives and adverbs
    

11. •Identify and remove clichés and idiomatic language
    

12. •Inject humanity into writing by asking good questions and using quotes
    

13. •Accelerate the delivery of short post-morning-meeting eMail notes
    

14. •Write fast, short Blackberry/Instant Messenger communications
    

15. •Compose highly valued paid-for notes, and so raise revenue
    

16. •Increase votes in major surveys for an institution’s research.
    

Course Objectives - analytical skills 

1. •Use a basket of valuation techniques to arrive at a target price
   

2. •Outline the market and the sector contexts
   

3. •Link a story clearly to the target share price
   

4. •Make clear and compelling investment cases
   

5. •Differentiate between buying on fundamentals or momentum
   

6. •Define a link between strategy and corporate performance
   

7. •Outline a clear timescale
   

8. •Identify what might go wrong, and argue why risks are worth taking
   

9. •Respect the market and be able to identify why it could be pricing wrongly
   

10. •Know what types of investors will respond to the story and why.
    

Course Outline

The course begins with a review of existing performance, a session enhanced if training deliverers have pre-course access to written communications within the participants’ organisations. Participants will also be asked to prepare an analysts report on the evolving story of three major companies heading towards mergers and acquisitions. As they write their way through the scenario, an editor copy-coaches the work. Reviews offer participants facilitated discussions to extract learning points from the output of all writers, including trainer versions, to build checklists for better writing for use after the course. Emphasis will be placed on website writing requirements.

Pre-work

Before attending this course participants will be asked to obtain and review two publications: The Pyramid Principle, By Barbara Minto. [Financial Times. Hardcover: ISBN 0-273-65903-0. Third Edition.] and Essential English for Journalists, Editors and Writers, By Harold Evans. [Pimlico. Paperback: ISBN 0-7126-6447-5.]