Developing Your Communication Skills as a CPA

When jump starting your career as a staff member in a CPA firm, it's easy to feel that you have light years ahead of you before you need to worry about things that partners do, such as providing consistent client service, bringing in new business, and building up the firm's network. While you focus on your daily responsibilities as a staff, senior associate, and eventually manager, it's easy to get lost in the details and forget that your upward mobility in the firm hinges on your ability to communicate.

While working in the Big Four, I felt that the firm was often negligent in developing the communication skills of their less experienced staff, forcing them to focus their attention on the details of workpapers and audit execution. These skills are no doubt important, but an unintended consequence of this focus was that many new staff committed major gaffes when interacting with clients. There were several instances of staff on my audit teams who didn't realize that it was inappropriate for them to march into a senior VP's office and demand they provide information that someone else on the audit team had already collected, or staff who paid no attention to the client's repeated requests for updates and time lines as to the progress and completion of the audit, resulting in a shock when unexpected audit work was subsequently billed.

In the aggregate, such experiences erode your firm's relationship with their clients, and over time result in a loss of business and reputation. That is why the AICPA posted a poignant video in the Journal of Accountancy, discussing the importance of developing the communication skills of CPA staff at the earliest stages of their careers. Even if your firm does not set such standard for you as a staff person, you should hold yourself accountable to them, as a means of measuring your progress in developing your communication skills and nurturing your potential to be a leader in your firm. In the video, Troy Waugh, CPA, provides three great suggestions for developing such potential in CPA staff:

1. Assign every staff member a certain number of hours in their first year to provide great client service. Make them accountable for those 100 hours, or whatever the number may be. Ask them to document what that time entailed and how they feel they best served the client's needs. Make this measurement a part of their annual performance evaluation. By holding them accountable for client service, it reminds them of the important role they play in developing the firm's relationships, since they are on the front lines regularly interacting with the client.

2. Require every staff person to join a Toastmasters club for the duration of their first year with the firm. These weekly clubs provide an encouraging environment for professionals to develop their public speaking skills. From prepared speeches, to class room facilitation, to impromptu discussions, Toastmasters will make you a better communicator in every professional situation.
3. Staff should understand their clients' hierarchy. They should be familiar with the people in the C-suite, the accounting managers, controllers, treasurers. By making these points of contacts and knowing how to navigate the organization for information as you conduct your audits, you will be building a strong network that will serve you well when those people move to other companies. This will enable you to bring in new business to your firm in the future. Having a pipeline of contacts will be a boost to your professional potential as you are eventually considered for promotions.

It's never too late to think about the next few steps in your career. If your ambitions include advancing within your firm, you cannot neglect the importance of being a good communicator. Following these suggestions will help you stay on track in your personal development, and will undoubtedly set you apart from your peers.