A Question Isn’t a Verdict

𝗔 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁: 𝗔 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀

This week in the current AnalytiQ cohort, we focused on writing more concisely. As usual, the class had mixed feelings about it, and I understand why.

For many commercial credit analysts, concise writing feels risky. If they trim the presentation, the approver might ask a question. And a question can feel like proof that their work, and their effort to be concise, fell short.

So they do the logical thing: they add more. More pages, more exhibits, more caveats, all in the hope of answering every question before it's asked. The result might be a 50-page presentation in which the most important analysis is buried under 40 pages of clutter, which makes the approver's job harder, not easier.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀: a question doesn’t automatically mean the work was insufficient. Sometimes it's a clarification of something that wasn't clear. Sometimes it's a way to engage with the analyst and show the work was actually read. Without context, analysts can’t tell whether a question signals a real oversight or simple curiosity.

𝗠𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲:

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁𝘀: Challenge yourself to write for the benefit of the approver and the decision, not for your own protection. If a paragraph exists only to head off a question that may never come, it's probably clutter. And when a question does arrive and you're unsure what's behind it, ask. Even a quick “Should this be documented in the presentation?” helps you know whether the additional words are warranted in the approver’s mind. It’s okay (and encouraged!) for you to ask questions too.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀: Give your questions some additional context. A quick note like "this is just for my own understanding" or "I want to confirm the assumption behind X" can change how a question lands. It takes ten seconds, and it can shape the next presentation that lands on your desk.

Concise credit writing works best when both sides trust that a question is the start of a conversation, not a verdict.

𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘘 𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺. 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵.