Communicating with accounting and finance professionals

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An effective manager will have to communicate with his/her accounting and finance professionals team to ensure daily business activities and projects are completed as per the plan. Here are six tips that will help a manager effectively communicate with his/her finance department.

Ask them to speak up – Ask your finance team to be more vocal and request for their feedback, questions, and concerns.

Check in often – Often remind your accounting team that you value their input and need their expertise to ensure that the business runs smoothly.

Don’t catch people off guard – Avoid waiting till an annual appraisal to give your team feedback, as this will give no time for a staff member or team to improve. Look at informally offering regular performance reviews.

Give it to them straight – Accounting professionals will value a communication style that is honest, reliable and direct.

Be specific – Accounting professionals will focus on data, so if you want them to work on something ensure that you are precise, accurate and technical. Avoid being general and request for numbers that will help you understand the situation better.

Ward off rumors – Office gossip can confuse employees and create misinformation and half truths. When you’re speaking to the finance team, request for information in numbers as this will provide a more accurate picture of a problem.

Training – Adding training programs to help employees communicate better is a good way to help departments and managers communicate more effectively.