CPAs "Speak Up" throughout Ohio.

As part of the Financial Fitness Ohio initiative, The Ohio Society of CPAs has mobilized a Speakers Bureau that creates a direct link between CPAs and their communities. The Speakers Bureau provides opportunities for CPAs to tell the profession's story and address critical financial issues facing Ohioans.

Members who volunteer for the Speakers Bureau are provided with information and tools to help them be successful when called upon for a speaking engagement. Volunteers are given the opportunity to participate in a training program, Speak Up, CPA!, to develop critical public speaking skills and are provided with support materials, including prepared speeches, PowerPoint presentations, talking points and hand-outs.

"It was a very beneficial program," says Michael McKeown, a participant at the training program hosted in Cleveland on March 1. "I really enjoyed having the chance to practice my presentation skills, and getting constructive feedback from a professional," McKeown adds.

At Speak Up, CPA!, participants learn valuable presentation techniques and get a chance to put them into action.

Within two weeks after completing the course, members receive a DVD containing their five-minute recorded presentation and a detailed critique from the instructor, as well as the instructor's presentation, Tips for Making Dynamic Presentations.

Since the launch of the Speakers Bureau earlier this year, several members have been called upon to present in their communities. The Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) chapters at Bowling Green State University, University of Toledo and Case Western Reserve University each requested the Financial Fitness Ohio presentation that provides college students tips and resources for managing their personal finances.

Charles Chambers, CPA, delivered the Financial Fitness Ohio presentation to over 50 BAP students at The University of Toledo in February. "It was a great experience. The students seemed to be very receptive to the message and they asked a lot of questions," says Chambers. "Presenting to those students was a really rewarding experience for me."

The students were impressed as well. "Mr. Chambers did a fantastic job at our meeting," says Angelique Dorow, BAP chapter president and Ohio Society Student Ambassador. "The students were really impressed--and some even commented that it was the best presentation we ever had."

Other Speakers Bureau volunteers have presented at various Chamber of Commerce meetings, other student clubs, high school career days, and at workshops across the state that teach parents and teachers how to talk to high school students about investing.

Operation CPA, the Society's income tax support program for deployed Ohio military personnel, has also benefited from the Speakers Bureau. On April 8, R. David Smith, CPA, presented to over 500 Ohio National Guard Reservists and their spouses at the Ohio National Guard's annual meeting in Columbus. Smith, a past chair of the Board for The Ohio Society, offered attendees Financial Fitness tips about saving, budgeting, debt management, managing money during active duty, and state and federal tax considerations.

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Five additional Financial Fitness Ohio presentations to Army Guard Reservists being called to active duty are scheduled at Family Readiness Briefs in Bowling Green, Columbus (three sessions) and McConnelsville.

The Speakers Bureau is a unique opportunity to connect with your community and provide various audiences, including students and military personnel, much-needed personal financial management information.

The Speakers Bureau is currently recruiting volunteers and Speak Up, CPA training sessions are scheduled at The Ohio Society's Accounting Show in Dayton on May 24-25, at the Members Summit in Columbus on June 22, and at the Accounting Show in Cleveland on Sept. 20-21. For more information or to volunteer, contact Melanie Sonderman at [e-mail] or 800.686.2727, ext. 344.