Through the research of communication issues in the accounting profession, it has been discovered that the successful knowledge transfer within the professional setting requires focusing on the goals of communication. The findings of the empirical studies and examples from my personal experience have made it apparent that the reader-centered approach is much more effective than using the templates for reproducing certain documents. No longer should accountant professionals overstate the structure of their letters. Working on certain documents, they should rather pay more attention to the context of communication, its end goal, and readers’ background knowledge.
The personal evaluation through testing of my communication skills allowed identifying my strengths and deficiencies in their relation to the opportunities of effective communication in a professional accounting environment and my corresponding career prospects. Shifting my efforts from the traditional method of business communication to the reader-centered approach would foster the development of my communication skills and provide additional opportunities for professional development and career growth.
Every time the situations requiring effective knowledge transfer occur in accounting practice, the accounting profession has to consider the readers’ background knowledge, level of competence, and the situational context. Thus, the choice of proper wording and certain explanations of terms and processes if necessary for the readers lacking accounting knowledge should be balanced with the requirement of starting at the point where the writer’s and reader’s knowledge diverges. The overabundance and the failure to provide the necessary background information and illustrations are equally hazardous and can become barriers to successful knowledge transfer and achievement of the primary goal of professional communication.
Bearing in mind the challenges of my future occupation, I will need to shift the emphasis towards the goal-centered approach to professional communication for improving my professional skills and career prospects.