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Effective writing skills are essential to the success of the audit function. Whether writing narratives, memos to clients, or key findings, auditors must be able to express themselves clearly and concisely. The chapter is proud to present one of the leading instructors to help us sharpen our writing skills. Joanne Feierman, principal of Seminars in Communication, has been teaching the craft of audit writing for 20 years. She has presented at many IIA sessions; and for clients, including Oppenheimer Funds, the Principal Financial Group, CIT, American Tower Corporation and Dreyfus. Her article “Write It Right the First Time” is featured on the IIA’s newly re-launched website.

The two-day workshop will feature the following topics:

 How to target material for the reader
 Selecting the appropriate amount of detail
 The components of the audit comment
 How to capture the reader's attention in the first sentence of the audit comment
 Highlighting the business impact or risk
 Creating a logical flow of information
 Using bullets to present certain types of information
 Shunning the -tion
 Writing concise narratives
 Making the tone consultative
 Five grammar and punctuation points for auditors

To increase the value of this workshop, please bring two findings that you or your group has written, to the session.

Instructor -Joanne Feierman

Joanne Feierman, president of Seminars in Communication in New York City, is a recognized expert in business writing. Her workshops on memo, report, and proposal writing have been presented at major corporations and nonprofit organizations. Her book, Action Grammar (Simon & Schuster, 1995), was featured by William Safire in The New York Times as one of the year’s best books on language when it was published. It is now in its 13th printing. Ms. Feierman’s recent clients include Moody’s Investors Service, DTCC, Dreyfus, Fidelity, and the Principal Financial Group. She has also presented programs for CIT, The Marsh & McLennan Companies, Seagram’s, Ernst & Young, Coca-Cola, Cushman & Wakefield, The New York Stock Exchange, Bestfoods, and the Office of the City Comptroller, New York City. Her workshops on audit report writing have been presented at international and “Best Practices” conferences of the Institute of Internal Auditors as well as at IIA chapter meetings in Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Florida. Recently, Ms Feierman presented “Better Reports: How an Audit Group Made Every Word Count” at this year’s IIA Financial Services Conference and “The Seven Deadly Sins of Report Writing” at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association annual meeting. Her articles have appeared in publications of the IIA and ISACA. Ms. Feierman taught Effective Business Communication at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and New York University’s Management Institute. After receiving a BA from the University of Michigan, Ms. Feierman earned an MA in English from Simmons College and an MBA from Baruch College of the City University of New York. She is a member of Baruch’s Executives on Campus program and serves as mentor for a Baruch student through the Financial Women’s Association-Baruch mentorship program.