PREPARING FOR A CONVERSATION · 3 MIN READ
Before examining
the records,
frame the question.
Financial information is easier to discuss when everyone understands what it is being asked to explain.
- 01The question
- 02The context
- 03The intended use
A reporting obligation, a disputed calculation and a proposed transaction can all begin with financial records. They do not necessarily begin with the same question.
First, name what needs explaining.
Write a short description of the matter that prompted the inquiry. Separate the facts you can describe from the questions you want examined. That distinction gives a professional adviser a useful starting point.
Keep the context with the information.
Note the relevant dates, the people involved and the records you know are available. An opening conversation can describe those materials without sending confidential documents through an unconfirmed channel.
Explain how the work will be used.
Who needs the information, what decision does it relate to and what is the timing? The intended use helps frame a discussion of scope, responsibilities and limitations before an engagement begins.
A USEFUL PREPARATION NOTE
The matter. The information available. The question still open. The intended use. Start there.
Original sample editorial prepared for this website concept. General conversation preparation only; not accounting, tax, legal or investment advice. Not represented as an article authored or approved by the firm.
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