Cover Story Outlook
Peer Reviewed
Educational
Peer Reviewed
GAAP: Generally Awesome
Accounting Presentations
Cheryl Minnick
Ed.D., NCRW, CCMC
Career Counselor/Internship
Coordinator
Teresa Beed
Ph.D., CPA
Professor of Accounting
Office of Internship Services
School of Business Administration
University of Montana
University of Montana
P
ublic speaking can be nervewracking. While there is little
you can do to completely dissolve anxiety, you can minimize it by being prepared and confident. Practicing presentations helps
build self confidence in subject matter
and presentation style, which will help
you shine during any presentation. An
accounting career can be boosted by
giving first-rate presentations, which
help build self-confidence, establish
network connections, and allow for
the display of professional appearance, behavior and communications.
For accounting students and new accountants to enhance their classroom,
internal staff and/or client presentations, suggestions for professional
style, mannerisms and dress codes are
shared below.
Body Movement
Anyone can become self-conscious
when speaking in public. If you become nervous, locate and speak to
friendly faces in the crowd. Eye contact with the audience will keep them
interested, so never turn your back on
them. To engage the audience, move
about the floor– map out two points
14 NEW ACCOUNTANT
on the floor to walk and stand on, but
do not pace between the two. The audience will sense your interest in the
topic if you use movement, vocal inflection, and hand gestures to reinforce
your message. Avoid movements that
divert attention from the talk such as
putting hands in your pockets, tapping
the clicker, or swaying side-to-side.
solid-colored shirts, etc. Remember to
remove tags and cut crisscross threads
stitched over pockets and vents of new
clothing.
before your presentation have your hair
cut short and fairly uniform, including
a tidy traditional square, round or tapered neckline. For accounting presentations, a clean-shaven look is best.
Suit Buttons:
A secret to a confident, well-dressed Jewelry:
professional is a buttoned suit jacket– Wear conservative jewelry and keep
this look enhances presence. The gen- it minimal. A watch, wedding band,
eral rule is to button your jacket when and/or small stud earrings are approVoice:
standing and, to avoid pulling across priate; chandelier and hoop earrings are
Speak clearly and slowly, not in a the chest and back. Unbutton it when not. Let your professionalism, knowlmonotone or as if you cannot wait sitting. If you use hand gestures during edge, and education shine instead of
to finish. Indicate excitement in your presentations, unbutton your suit to al- your “bling”.
voice because if you are interested, the low movement, and re-button it when
audience is more apt to follow suit. you are finished. This simple buttoning Shoes:
During presentations,
youspeaking
will lose the can
activity
you appear
Shoes should match
your clothublic
be makes
nervehelpcomfortable
build self-confidence,
establish
audience by using
filler words,While
“um”, there
presenting
suit savvy.
ing in both and
color allow
and style.
wracking.
is and
little
network connections,
forPractice
“well”, and “like”, during thought
in your presentation shoes because if
you can do to completely dis- the display of professional appearpauses. Eliminate filler words by paus- Tie:
they are uncomfortable, it will affect
solve
anxiety,
can minimize
it bywill ance,
behavior
andconcentration.
communications.
ing to take
a breath
betweenyou
thoughts,
The audience
immediately
no- your
Ladies – shoes
being
prepared
and
confident.
PracFor
accounting
students
and
new
acwhich allows the audience to focus on tice your tie if you wear a dark suit and should be understated, such
as a polticing Record
presentations
selfcolorcountants
to enhance
their classroom,
your message.
yourself whilehelps
whitebuild
shirt. Tie
and pattern are
ished closed-toe
pump with a low
practicing
the presentationintosubject
identify important–
dark blue,
maroon,staff
and and/or
heel. If you
are unsure,
look at your
confidence
matter and
internal
client
presentafiller words
or
distracting
habits.
To
gray
are
conservative
and
approprishoes
...
if
you
would
wear
them on a
presentation style, which will help tions, suggestions for professional
create a strong presentation, practice ate for accounting, as are striped and date, they are wrong for an accountyou shine during any presentation. An style, mannerisms and dress codes
and gather feedback before you pres- paisley patterns. A classic look is tone- ing presentation. Gentlemen– wear
accounting career can be boosted by are shared below.
ent, or if possible, practice vocally in on-tone: the tie two shades darker than polished leather shoes (and socks)
giving first-rate
presentations,
which
the presentation
venue. Chewing
gum the suit. For
men 6”2” or taller, pur- that match your suit– black shoes and
during a presentation (or interview) is chase a long tie, which is four inches black socks with a black suit. Oxfords
unacceptable and makes it more diffi- longer than a standard tie, so the bot- or lace-up dress shoes with a cap-toe,
cult to speak.
tom tip of the tie hits the upper edge of wingtip or stitching are good shoe
your belt.
choices as are loafers or other leather
Clothing:
dress shoes without laces.
It takes seconds to make a first im- Hair:
pression and clothing influences the The accounting culture leans toward Notes & Presentation Software
audience’s initial impression of you. classic, conservative hairstyles. Ladies– Download a TED talk to observe
For the conservative accounting field, to appear career-oriented, long hair is and learn from professional presenters.
a two-piece black, gray or navy suit is best off the face, out of the eyes, and If you know your material adequately,
an excellent option. Avoid overload- not laying on your suit lapel. A profes- speak without notes using slides as a
ing the audience with bold patterns by sional look is to pull long hair back as it roadmap. Slide text should honor the
wearing a light-colored blouse or shirt can otherwise be seen as disorganized or Franklin-Covey “30-point rule” – be
to complement your suit. Avoid wear- “playful”. Whether long or short, hair 30-point font or larger, so everyone in
ing extravagant or low-cut clothing, as should never hang in your face or eyes. attendance can read the slides. If givyou want the audience to pay attention Do not touch or flip hair, as those ac- ing a team presentation, confirm that
to the topic, rather than spend time tions are distracting. Gentlemen– your all slides use matching font, headings,
questioning your judgment. For team current hairstyle may be fine for a ca- background, etc. It is better to err on
presentations, it is best if team mem- sual lifestyle, but inappropriate for the the side of too little, than too much
bers dress similarly– all in black suits, career or position you seek. A few days slide text. For accounting presenta-
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15
Cover Story Outlook
Peer Reviewed
Educational
Peer Reviewed
tions, slides with shooting stars, transition sounds, music, twirling animations, or moving words detract from,
and make it difficult to focus on, the
content. It is helpful to print and distribute slide handouts of three to six
slides per page so audience members
can use them for taking notes and following the presentation. Finally, DO
NOT read slides or notes to the audience: it is a kiss of death.
Team Presentations
When co-presenting, dismiss egos
and focus on educating the audience.
A presentation is only as good as the
weakest presenter, so be supportive of
your colleagues by giving them your
full attention when they are speaking.
As the presentation starts, each presenter should introduce him/herself,
or assign one team member to introduce all speakers. Presenters should reintroduce themselves as they approach
the audience to begin speaking. When
switching presenters, verbal transitions
are helpful: “As John mentioned in his
presentation …” or “Thank you, John,
for your historical review of fair value.
I will apply fair value to derivatives.”
Verbal transitions integrate presentations, bridge elements and “tee-up”
co-presenters: “To review current proposals for revenue recognition, I will
turn it over to Mark”, or “Steven will
now examine the IFRS rule in greater
detail.”
Where co-presenters stand or sit and
how they behave when not speaking is
critical. Often, audience members can
see all presenters and may consider
their actions when evaluating the overall presentation. Looking bored while
waiting your turn to speak is perceived
negatively by audience members. For
brief talks, it is best if colleagues not
presenting stand side-by-side during
the presentation, rather than sit. For
lengthy presentations, non-presenters
16 NEW ACCOUNTANT
may sit to the side. When not presenting, be aware of your behavior: sit or
stand appropriately– do not lean on
a wall, sway back-and-forth, or put
elbows on your knees. If one of your
team’s presenters cannot attend the
talk, the team must know enough
about the entire topic to cover for the
absence.
Humor & Opinion:
Humor is welcome, when appropriate, but should not be forced or excessive. A relevant cartoon is nice, but you
are an accountant, not a comedian. If
the presentation is educational, it is unwise to add your opinion. A presentation of personal opinion is not educational unless an icon like Warren Buffet is sharing his experienced opinion.
However, do not be caught off guard if
you are asked for your opinion during
the Q&A session. You gave a talk and
should have an opinion if asked.
Technology Failure
A speaker’s worst nightmare– technology fails, the clicker dies, or slides
refuse to upload. Regardless, you must
present. Everyone knows technology
fails and, at one time or another, it has
probably happened to each audience
member. If you have given the audience
slide handouts, proceed using them. If
you have not, do not panic– do the best
you can. People forgive technology failure and will admire your panache if
you react with professionalism.
Question & Answer
Q&A sessions allow you to engage
the audience, clarify data and emphasize key points. Behave as if you want
questions and ask, “What questions
do you have?” not, “Do you have any
questions?” It is profitable if there are
questions as it means the audience is
engaged, not that the presentation was
weak. When a question is asked, listen
to the speaker carefully and ask for clarification if unclear or repeat the question back to the audience to confirm
your comprehension. Respond with,
“You raise an interesting point”, or “I
am glad you asked that question”, not
with, “Good question.” Never interrupt an audience member before his/
her question has been fully stated. If
someone asks a question that you are
unable to answer, state you do not
know since your research on the topic
did not lead you in that direction. If no
one asks a question, you might say, “A
question about IFRS we thought might
be asked is …”, then state and answer
that question. If one audience member
asks multiple questions, inquire, “Does
anyone else have a question?” The audience will welcome you taking control. For team presentations, all team
members should respond to questions.
It is problematic if one team member
answers all questions as the audience
may consider this person arrogant. If a
team member is shy, or dominant team
members have precluded him/her from
entering the Q&A period, look his/
her way and say, “Jane, I believe you
are familiar with the SEC’s ruling …”
Schedule a 1-2 minute wrap-up at the
end of the Q&A to restate your main
points and thank the audience for their
time and attention.
Accounting careers can be boosted
by giving first-rate presentations as presenting helps you build self-confidence
and professional connections. Every
time you present, there may be an audience member who could be instrumental in advancing your career. Professional presentations enhance your
success; and, if you measure success in
experience, confidence, connections
OR salary, then each presentation you
give makes you richer.