Skip to content

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some are essential to make our site work; others help us improve the user experience. By using the site, you consent to the placement of these cookies. Read our privacy policy to learn more.

Close
AICPA-CIMA
  • AICPA & CIMA:
  • Home
  • CPE & Learning
  • My Account
Journal of Accountancy
  • TECH & AI
    • All articles
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    • Microsoft Excel
    • Information Security & Privacy

    Latest Stories

    • Incorporating prompt engineering into the accounting curriculum
    • Create a dynamic to-do list with Excel’s checkboxes
    • Another way to manage authentication texts
  • TAX
    • All articles
    • Corporations
    • Employee benefits
    • Individuals
    • IRS procedure

    Latest Stories

    • Paper tax refund checks on the way out as IRS shifts to electronic payments
    • IRS keeps per diem rates unchanged for business travel year starting Oct. 1
    • Details on IRS prop. regs. on tip income deduction
  • PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
    • All articles
    • Diversity, equity & inclusion
    • Human capital
    • Firm operations
    • Practice growth & client service

    Latest Stories

    • Paper tax refund checks on the way out as IRS shifts to electronic payments
    • Practice mobility update: New NASBA tool tracks changes for CPAs
    • IRS keeps per diem rates unchanged for business travel year starting Oct. 1
  • FINANCIAL REPORTING
    • All articles
    • FASB reporting
    • IFRS
    • Private company reporting
    • SEC compliance and reporting

    Latest Stories

    • SEC accepting Professional Accounting Fellow applications
    • SEC names new chief accountant
    • SEC ends legal defense of its climate rules
  • AUDIT
    • All articles
    • Attestation
    • Audit
    • Compilation and review
    • Peer review
    • Quality Management

    Latest Stories

    • AICPA unveils new QM resources to help firms meet Dec. 15 deadline
    • 8 steps to build your firm’s quality management system on time
    • Auditing Standards Board proposes a new fraud standard
  • MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
    • All articles
    • Business planning
    • Human resources
    • Risk management
    • Strategy

    Latest Stories

    • Business outlook brightens somewhat despite trade, inflation concerns
    • AICPA & CIMA Business Resilience Toolkit — levers for action
    • Economic pessimism grows, but CFOs have strategic responses
  • Home
  • News
  • Magazine
  • Podcast
  • Topics
Advertisement
  1. newsletter
  2. Cpa Insider
CPA INSIDER

Don’t fall for these presentation myths

More data isn’t always better.

By Kristen Rampe, CPA
October 1, 2018

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2018. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

Related

September 24, 2018

Stop putting up with putting it off

September 17, 2018

10 tips for starting your CPA podcast

July 9, 2018

How to use content marketing to attract clients

TOPICS

  • Professional Development
    • Communication

Depending on your career trajectory, it’s likely that public speaking will play a small but important part of your role as a CPA. This can include presentations to clients, boards, peer groups, and maybe even larger audiences.

A tiny number of people actually relish the task of speaking in front of others. This leaves the vast majority of us agonizing over whether or not we will say the right thing.  

It’s no wonder I see so many presenters cling to the safety of bullet-point-packed slides, reading word-for-word, as the audience’s eyes glaze over. Presenting can be scary.

Over the past few years, I’ve identified some common myths related to accounting presentations. In this article, I’ve enlisted the help of a couple of my peers in the field to help me debunk them, and share our top tips to help you become a more effective and confident presenter.

Myth No. 1: Accountants are good with numbers, not public speaking.

As a CPA, you regularly communicate with colleagues, clients, and people in your community. You’ve likely learned to be very effective at giving the people you’re interacting with the information they want, in the way they need it.

Presenting to a group has a lot of similarities. 

Advertisement

“Many CPAs don’t think they have the skills to deliver great presentations. It doesn’t feel like a natural thing, so they’re hesitant to do it,” said Meahgan Pear, national senior marketing manager at BDO in Grand Rapids, Mich.

If you feel less than comfortable with presenting, my top recommendation is to practice, practice, practice. Deliver your presentation in front of the mirror or to your friends or record it on your phone. Repeat it until you feel ready to ride with no hands (or maybe no slides).

Pear, who works with CPAs to improve their presentation skills, suggests trying an improv class. “There’s an element of improv in a presentation. Being comfortable in that space will help you relax,” she said, and I agree. Having taken improv classes for several years, I’ve learned that it requires creativity, spontaneity, and vulnerability. These same qualities make for great communicators.

Myth No. 2: Accounting doesn’t lend itself to telling stories.

“I appreciate presenters who can take a complicated subject and pull out the why, not just the what. Storytelling can make a significant difference,” said Brian Kreischer, CPA, managing partner with Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP in the San Francisco area.

When formulating your presentation, consider what you want your audience to take away and how you want them to feel, Kreischer suggests. “What outcome are you interested in? Do you want the audience to feel reassured, informed, or persuaded? I find thinking this through might change how I say something,” Kreischer said.

Kreischer adds that having a common theme or story in a presentation can make the information you’re sharing more memorable.

Advertisement

I recommend experimenting with being true to your authentic self, while maintaining professionalism, of course. When it’s helpful and appropriate, share a personal experience, talk about a mistake you made and what you learned, or open with a brief vignette on a recent vacation you took or hobby you love. Doing so will make you more relatable to your audience and helps them connect with you on an emotional level. You are a person too, not just a voice behind a lectern.

Myth No. 3: Our audiences expect dense slides and presentations packed with an overwhelming amount of information.

While audiences may be used to this format, it certainly isn’t something they inherently crave.

“Accountants have so much great information that they want to share. To be effective, they must be able to pare it down. Even if it’s technical in nature, delivery is a huge component of it.” Pear said.

Next time you’re preparing a presentation, consider the value you’re offering your audience. What matters most to them? How can you deliver this value most directly? 

When it comes to creating your slide deck, you may be tempted to fill it with voluminous technical explanations, dense bulleted lists, and too many data points.

There are a few reasons I believe accounting professionals do this:

Advertisement

1. It’s a security blanket. If all else fails, we can look to our slides to have the answers.

2. We feel we need to give our audience all the information we have.

3. We believe we need to front-load our presentation with technical information for it to qualify for CPE.

To gain the confidence to edge away from dense slide decks, consider this: You are a professional who knows your stuff! There is a reason you’ve been charged with presenting the information in the first place. Find talking points that you are comfortable speaking on, without having a script. Imagine someone is asking you your advice or a question on how to apply a new standard or regulation. That’s what they really want to know, and sharing examples and current practices is both appropriate and appreciated by the audience.

I also challenge you to make it your personal goal to share only a few key points (not everything you know), and to experiment with using a simple image to illustrate your point, or tell a story to emphasize the message you’re trying to convey.

And while it is true that materials and delivery methods must be technically accurate to qualify for CPE, that level of detail does not have to be in your slide deck. A handout to complement your presentation or written summary of your talking points materials may offer a more effective solution.  

Let’s bust these myths

Advertisement

If you’re ready to help eliminate these myths for our profession and take your presentations to the next level, try connecting with your audience with storytelling, imagery, and being more true to yourself. Your prospects, peers, clients, and community will appreciate it, and with practice, you will present with confidence.

Kristen Rampe, CPA, is a consultant to the accounting industry, based in Michigan. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Courtney Vien, a JofA senior editor, at Courtney.Vien@aicpa-cima.com.

Advertisement

latest news

September 24, 2025

Paper tax refund checks on the way out as IRS shifts to electronic payments

September 24, 2025

Practice mobility update: New NASBA tool tracks changes for CPAs

September 23, 2025

IRS keeps per diem rates unchanged for business travel year starting Oct. 1

September 22, 2025

Managing teams, managing time: The importance of setting expectations

September 19, 2025

Details on IRS prop. regs. on tip income deduction

Advertisement

Most Read

MAP Survey finds CPA firm starting pay on the rise
IRS finalizes regulations for Roth catch-up contributions under SECURE 2.0
NASBA, AICPA release proposed revisions to CPE standards
IRS releases draft form for tip, overtime, car loan, and senior deductions
Congress passes act allowing tax relief when a state declares disaster
Advertisement

Podcast

September 25, 2025

Professional liability risks related to Form 1065, CPA firm acquisitions

September 18, 2025

‘We’re still the thinkers’ — a reminder for tax pros in the AI era

September 11, 2025

Strong storytelling helps speakers deliver ‘medicine’ without the aftertaste

Features

Calming nervous clients nearing retirement
Calming nervous clients nearing retirement

Calming nervous clients nearing retirement

7 retirement tips for small firm CPAs
7 retirement tips for small firm CPAs

7 retirement tips for small firm CPAs

Building a better CPA firm: Stepping up service offerings
Multi-colored plus signs

Building a better CPA firm: Stepping up service offerings

2025 tax software survey
Smiley, frowney, and neutral faces for Tax Software Survey.

2025 tax software survey

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Flip out with the latest Tech Q&A

The September Technology Q&A column shows how to create dynamic to-do lists with Excel's checkboxes and also how to set up multifactor authentication texts that don't rely on phones. Flip through both items and view a video walkthrough in our digital format. 

From The Tax Adviser

August 30, 2025

2025 tax software survey

August 30, 2025

Are you doing all you can to keep the cash method for your clients?

July 31, 2025

Current developments in S corporations

July 31, 2025

Paid student-athletes: Tax implications for universities and donors

MAGAZINE

September 2025

September 2025

September 2025
August 2025

August 2025

August 2025
July 2025

July 2025

July 2025
June 2025

June 2025

June 2025
May 2025

May 2025

May 2025
April 2025

April 2025

April 2025
March 2025

March 2025

March 2025
February 2025

February 2025

February 2025
January 2025

January 2025

January 2025
December 2024

December 2024

December 2024
November 2024

November 2024

November 2024
October 2024

October 2024

October 2024
view all

View All

http://JofA_Default_Mag_cover_small_official_blue

PUSH NOTIFICATIONS

Coming soon: Learn about important news

CPA LETTER DAILY EMAIL

CPA Letter Logo

Subscribe to the daily CPA Letter

Stay on top of the biggest news affecting the profession every business day. Follow this link to your marketing preferences on aicpa-cima.com to subscribe. If you don't already have an aicpa-cima.com account, create one for free and then navigate to your marketing preferences.

Connect

  • X Logo JofA on X
  • facebook JofA on Facebook

HOME

  • News
  • Monthly issues
  • Podcast
  • A&A Focus
  • PFP Digest
  • Academic Update
  • Topics
  • RSS feed rss feed
  • Site map

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Advertise
  • Submit an article
  • Editorial calendar
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & conditions

SUBSCRIBE

  • Academic Update
  • CPE Express

AICPA & CIMA SITES

  • AICPA-CIMA.com
  • Global Engagement Center
  • Financial Management (FM)
  • The Tax Adviser
  • AICPA Insights
  • Global Career Hub
AICPA & CIMA

© 2025 Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. All rights reserved.

Reliable. Resourceful. Respected.