Synopsis
“ … a must-read for any financial professional.”
-- Hayden Williams, CPA, CFO at the Washington Society of CPAs
From Peter A. Margaritis, CPA, “The Accidental Accountant,” author of Improv is No Joke, and acclaimed speaker and trainer, comes a new book that will transform the way you connect with audiences.
Learn how to ...
- Control Your Anxieties -- Peter shares tips to help calm your nerves and increase your confidence
- Craft Your Story -- Learn the art of powerful storytelling to share complex information
- Connect with Your Audience -- Discover how you can engage people and create interactive conversations
Cursed with Knowledge
If you’re like most financial professionals, you are “cursed with knowledge” and a comfort with numbers, spreadsheets, financial reports, tax codes, and investment models that collectively add up to a virtual foreign language to others who don’t possess a similar knowledge base. Because of this, you may have a hard time connecting with the very people who need your help the most -- with your clients or your colleagues. It’s a challenge you must overcome, an impasse you cannot simply shrug off. You need to talk to your stakeholders about the numbers; you need for them to understand.
But how?
You can’t change the numbers themselves; they are true and vital and, to a financial professional like you, beautiful and reassuring. What you can do is change your delivery when presenting financial information and bring those numbers to life!
In his game-changing new book, Taking the Numb Out of Numbers: Explaining and Presenting Financial Information with Confidence and Clarity, Peter A. Margaritis, CPA, offers a refreshing new approach for connecting with audiences of any size -- with one valued client on the other side of your desk or with 1,000 adoring fans.
Margaritis makes a compelling case that the secret to such audience connection can be found in the art of storytelling and improvisation. Through a book that’s equal parts practical guidebook, motivational support, and relatable examples, he helps readers construct their own storytelling methods and styles while learning a tried-and-true recipe for success in ensuring meaningful connection.
Learn the key differences between data storytelling and data visualization, and discover, step by step, how to become amazing and engaging by getting past your fears, then thoughtfully developing, preparing for, and delivering your presentation.
The principles explored in this book, while tailored to financial professionals, are applicable to anyone who presents technical information -- like engineers, scientists, lawyers, doctors, or technologists.
With a foreword from Boyd E. Search, CAE, CEO of the Georgia Society of CPAs, and a collection of instructional case studies.
About the Author
Accounting wasn't the career Peter A. Margaritis, CPA, envisioned for himself at 17 -- standup comedy was going to be his ticket. However, based on his father’s advice (“Don’t be a funny guy, Pete. Be a CPA, you’ll never be hungry.” ) and a knack for numbers, Peter earned his Master’s in Accountancy and his CPA license. He worked in key positions in several large organizations, and did very well. But accounting really wasn’t his passion. He was, in fact, The Accidental Accountant.
During his time as a corporate CPA, Peter took improv classes and performed stand-up comedy. Communicating directly with audiences was life changing, and Peter discovered his true passion: Teaching what he knew rather than being a practicing CPA. That led him to university faculty positions where he combined his accounting skills with his improv performance skills. He realized his students not only learned more when they were entertained and engaged, they retained that knowledge and could apply it in new situations. It was an epiphany.
Peter decided to apply the lessons learned in his classrooms to help others in the accounting profession. Accountants face many inflexible situations filled with details, laws, rules, and deadlines. Improv, on the other hand, is fluid, a concept that can be difficult to grasp without guidance and support. Peter helps bring the principles of improv to accountants who want to become more effective communicators and leaders. Yes, and he makes them laugh, learn, and grow. Through his keynote presentations and customized workshops, Peter shows how the tools used in improv -- like listening, flexibility, and trust -- can change how a team interacts with each other and their clients. Bottom line, Peter help teams learn new methods to improve their communication and build stronger relationships with clients, customers, stakeholders, and associates.
Peter is a member of the Association for International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA), Georgia Society of CPAs, Maryland Institute of CPAs, Ohio Society of CPAs and the National Speakers Association. He is past chair of the Ohio Society of CPAs and past delegate to the AICPA Governing Council, and is currently the President of the Ohio Chapter of the National Speakers Association.
Peter lives in the Columbus, Ohio, area with his wife Mary and their son Stephen, and their two Labrador retrievers, Midnight and MJ. Taking the Numb Out of Numbers is his second book.
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