Understand Finance Basics

If you do not have a background in finance (and most communicators do not), I urge you to take a course or read a layperson's guide to finance. Until you can read a balance sheet, you will not understand a major component of company performance. There are lots of ways to learn the basics without becoming a financial geek. If you are good at learning on your own, a book like Finance for Dummies is very helpful. If you prefer interactive learning, look for courses with names like “Finance for Nonfinancial Persons.” Everyone in the class will be there for the same reason you are, to learn something new. Or contact a peer in finance and ask that person for advice or suggestions. Once you have read what the finance person ...

Get The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leadership now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.