Simple strategies for clear written communication, The Actuary - Emphasis

Simple strategies for clear written communication, The Actuary Simple strategies for clear written communication, The Actuary For most actuaries, its a love of maths, statistics, probabilities and risk analysis that draws them into the profession. However, once theyve been fully trained in these hard skills, working life throws up new challenges. If youre a consulting actuary, for example, youll often have to explain complex ideas to clients who are not experts in the field. And even if you work in-house, explaining your work to colleagues is a crucial part of your role. So mastering communication is essential. And since these days we use written communication more than weve ever done before, you need to be able to write and to write well. Being able to explain yourself clearly and write in plain English can help you to gain credibility and increases the perceived value of your work. In turn, this will help ensure your clients or colleagues realise that what you do is an integral part of the organisation. Writing is a core professional skill that must be learned and then continually improved. The demands of business writing and the rigours of producing professional reports are very different from the English learnt at school. It should come as no surprise then that the actuarial profession have changed the CA3 Communications syllabus for trainees, in order to focus on writing for a non-actuarial audience. The Institute of Actuaries and The Faculty of Actuaries have introduced a residential course and workbook to help give students support and practice in this type of writing before they take the written exam. They have recognised that many students struggle with this module and they want to ensure that actuaries are able to express their ideas confidently through writing. Employers are also putting more and more emphasis on writing skills. Firms such as Hewitt and Hymans Robertson have commissioned specialist writing-training programmes for their actuarial staff, for example. So what can you do in practice? Well, imagine that you have completed a report on corporate pensions. You need to present it to a client who has staffing issues, an upcoming annual general meeting to prepare for and several other reports to read. The bottom line is that he is only interested in the financial implications of your search. You need to make an impact and ensure that your ideas are fully understood. If you get the communication wrong, you could lose valuable business. Trainees will soon have to complete an orally-based presentations module as part of their exams. But for trainees and qualified actuaries alike, explaining actuarial mathematics to a layperson is not an easy prospect. And the better you can become at communicating your ideas, the more effective you will be as an actuary. Training doesnt end when you qualify and learning writing techniques can make all the difference to your professional life. Here are the top tips for improving your written communication: Put the reader first Presenting complex figures, modelling techniques or probability theories doesnt have to be a daunting prospect. The answer is to think carefully about your audience and avoid a one size fits all approach. Ask yourself the following questions: What is the document about? Who will read it? How much do they already know about the subject? What do they absolutely need to know? How important is the subject to them? How interested are they in the subject? Dont include absolutely everything about a piece of research or a new idea. Instead, pare down to the main points and write them in plain English. This doesnt mean that you need to dumb down or be patronising, though. The message is to be as clear and precise as possible, and this means using technical language where appropriate. Jargon doesnt have to be avoided at all costs. Just make sure that your audience understand the technical terms youre using. (And always bear in mind that they may no less than they care to admit.) The aim is to save the reader time and wasted effort in trying to decipher unclear prose. Try to picture your reader with your document. If youre writing for a trustee, for instance, its likely theyll have to read several reports before a meeting. So, make sure that your introduction grabs the readers attention. Immediately convey your conclusions and recommendations with a concise, powerful executive summary. It doesnt matter whether youre writing a report, memo, letter or speech. Ask yourself what you want the reader to do when they have read the document. If you want them to take an action, you need to be direct. Clarify your main message Always offer a clear viewpoint. Keep asking yourself what you really want to communicate. It can seem like dangerous ground to express an opinion but its likely that your clients will see it as refreshing. Do this by using the active voice. So say, We predict a decline in employee pension provision, rather than Employee pension provision is predicted to decline. Keep it short Keep your sentences short and simple and avoid flowery phrases. There is no limit on the amount of full stops you can use. Aim for an average length of 15-20 words and an absolute maximum of 35. And stick to the rule of one sentence, one idea. Pay attention to structure If youre worried about structuring your ideas, the questions: what?, where?, when?, how?, why? and who? are useful prompts. When you know what you want to communicate, and why, you can then lay out your core idea first, and expand on it in the rest of the document. Proofread every piece of work Its easy to neglect to read through a document carefully once its finished. Dont. If at all possible, leave at least a day before you read it, to put some distance between you and the content. Otherwise youll read what you think it says, not what it actually does. Love, as they say, is blind. Look out for fuzzy thoughts, typos or badly-worded phrases. And make sure that you check the grammar, punctuation and spelling. Microsoft Words spellcheck doesnt know whether you mean peak or peek. Writing the wrong word can completely change your intended meaning and affect how your work is received. Robert Ashton is the Chief Executive of Emphasis.

Characteristics of an Effective School Principal

Characteristics of an Effective School Principal A school principals job is balanced between being rewarding and challenging. It is a difficult job, and like any job, there are people who are not able to handle it. There are certain characteristics of a highly effective principal that some people do not possess. Besides the obvious professional requirements needed to become a principal, there are several traits that good principals possess allowing them to do their job successfully. Each of these characteristics manifests themselves in the daily duties of a principal. A highly effective principal will possess each of the following seven qualities. A Principal  Must Exhibit Leadership This is a characteristic that every principal must possess. The principal is the instructional leader of their building. A good leader has to take responsibility for the successes and failures of her school. A good leader puts the needs of others in front of her own. A good leader is always looking to improve her school and then figures out how to make those improvements regardless of how difficult it might be. Leadership defines how successful any school is. A school without a strong leader will likely fail, and a principal who is not a leader will find herself without a job quickly. A Principal  Must Be Adept at Building Relationships With People If you dont like people you shouldnt be a principal. You have to be able to connect with each person you deal with on a daily basis. You have to find common ground and earn their trust. There are many groups of people that principals deal with daily including their superintendent, teachers, support staff, parents, students, and community members. Every group requires a different approach, and individuals within a group are unique in their own right. You never know who is going to walk into your office next. People come in with a variety of emotions including happiness, sadness, and anger. You have to be able to deal with each of those situations effectively by connecting with the person and showing him that you care about his unique situation. He has to believe that you will do whatever you can to make his situation better. A Principal  Must Balance Tough Love With Earned Praise This is especially true with your students and your teachers. You cant be a pushover, meaning that you let people get away with mediocrity. You have to set expectations high and hold those you are in charge of to those same standards. This means that there will be times when you have to reprimand people and likely hurt their feelings. It is a part of the job that isnt pleasant, but it is necessary if you want to run an effective school. At the same time, you must offer praise when it is appropriate. Dont forget to tell those teachers who are doing an extraordinary job that you appreciate them. Remember to recognize students who excel in the areas of academics, leadership and/or citizenship. An outstanding principal can motivate using a combination of both of these approaches. A Principal  Must Be Fair and Consistent Nothing can take away your credibility more quickly than being inconsistent in how you handle similar situations. While no two cases are exactly the same, you have to think about how you have handled other similar situations and continue on that same track. Students, in particular, know how you handle student discipline, and they make comparisons from one case to the next. If you are not fair and consistent, they will call you out on it. However, it is understandable that history will influence a principals decision. For example, if you have a student who has been in multiple fights and compare her to a student who has only had one fight, then you are justified in giving the student with multiple fights a longer suspension. Think all your decisions through, document your reasoning and be prepared when someone questions or disagrees with them. A Principal Must Be Organized and Prepared Each day presents a unique set of challenges and being organized and prepared is essential to meeting those challenges. You deal with so many variables as a principal that lack of organization will lead to ineffectiveness. No day is predictable. This makes being organized and prepared an essential quality. Each day you still have to come in with a plan or a to-do list with the understanding that you will probably only get about one-third of those things done. You also have to be prepared for just about anything. When you are dealing with that many people, there are so many unplanned things that can occur. Having policies and procedures in place to deal with situations is part of the necessary planning and preparation to be effective. Organization and preparation will help reduce stress when you are dealing with difficult or unique situations. A Principal  Must Be an Excellent Listener You never know when an angry student, a disgruntled parent or an upset teacher is going to walk into your office. You have to be prepared to deal with those situations, and that starts with being an exceptional listener. You can disarm most difficult situations simply by showing them that you care enough to listen to what they want to say. When someone wants to meet with you because they feel wronged in some way, you need to hear them out. This doesnt mean that you let them bash another person continuously. You can be firm on not letting them belittle a teacher or student, but allow them to vent without being disrespectful to another person. Be willing to go the next step in helping them resolve their issue. Sometimes that might be mediating between two students who have had a disagreement. Sometimes it might be having a discussion with a teacher to get his side of a story and then relaying that to the parent. It all begins with listening. A Principal  Must Be a Visionary​ Education is ever-evolving. There is always something bigger and better available. If you are not attempting to improve your school, you are not doing your job. This will always be an ongoing process. Even if you have been at a school for 15 years, there are still things you can do to improve the overall quality of your school. Each individual component is a working part of the larger framework of the school. Each of those components needs to be oiled every once in a while. You may have to replace a part that is not working. Occasionally you may even able to upgrade an existing part that was doing its job because something better was developed. You never want to be stale. Even your best teachers can get better. It is your job to see that no one gets comfortable and that everyone is working to improve continuously.