Wednesday 5th August 2026 @ 9:30am - 12:00pm
Overview
Finance is one of the key languages of business, and communications professionals are increasingly expected to speak it with confidence. Whether you’re preparing an annual report, developing leadership messaging, supporting financial announcements, managing stakeholder communications, or translating business performance into clear, meaningful stories, the ability to interpret financial information is an increasingly valuable professional skill.
For communications professionals aspiring to broader leadership responsibilities or a future C-suite role, financial literacy is an essential capability. Understanding the financial drivers of an organisation enables you to contribute more strategically, engage confidently in executive discussions, and strengthen your role as a trusted advisor.
You don’t need to become an accountant, but you do need to know enough to ask the right questions, understand what the numbers are telling you, and work effectively alongside finance teams.
Developed in partnership with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, this practical workshop has been designed specifically for public relations and communications professionals who regularly collaborate with finance colleagues, contribute to financial or corporate reporting, or want to broaden their commercial and strategic business acumen.
Who should attend
This workshop is ideal for public relations, communications and engagement professionals who:
- Work alongside finance teams or senior leaders but are not finance specialists.
- Contribute to annual reports, financial communications or corporate reporting.
- Want greater confidence interpreting financial information.
- Are seeking to broaden their commercial understanding and business acumen.
- Aspire to senior leadership or C-suite roles where financial literacy is an expected executive capability.
No finance background is required.
Workshop outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Apply basic accounting terminology to support financial interpretation
- Understand the purpose and structure of key financial statements
- Ask informed questions and engage more effectively with finance professionals and executive leaders.
- Start building the commercial confidence expected of communications professionals seeking to influence at a strategic and executive level.
Meet your facilitator: Laura Hanna
With over 20 years’ experience teaching accounting to non-accountants, helping people build confidence in understanding and using financial information. Our facilitator believes that a basic understanding of accounting is essential for anyone working in a business to participate effectively in decisions and conversations. Known for using plain English and everyday language, we make accounting concepts easy to understand. Build around a strong interest in learning design, focusing on creating learning experiences that are practical, relevant, and immediately useful
