Quick Facts

Favorite word?

Very

Favorite music to write to?

Classical

Favorite place to write?

My kitchen

 

Todd Erkis
Visiting Professor of Finance

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SJU Writes: How did you learn how to write in a business environment?

TE: It really was just practice. When I first started, I really didn’t write very well. You just have to keep at it. It’s like anything else in life–you have to just do it multiple times. I had some good mentors in business who helped me become a better and more effective communicator, and I think that helped a lot too.

SJU Writes: What is your revision process like?

TE: It’s just constant. I put down stream of consciousness as best as I can. The process is the revisions. Get the important stuff down; have a plan of what you want to say. I don’t care if it makes sense, and I don’t care if it’s full sentences. I want to get everything down, and then I will make passes through it until it turns out what I want it to be.

SJU Writes: What advice do you have for students writing in your discipline: insurance and finance?

TE: Please, start. I think most finance students think “I don’t really need to be a good writer. I just need to be good with numbers, and I’m good with business,” but the people who are going to really excel in finance are going to be the ones who can communicate well to their clients. You need to be able to write, write consciously, and write in a way that people understand.

—David Kadysh ’20