OSCPA Town Hall recap: Why CPAs should master the art of storytelling

No matter their industry or sector, CPAs can use the numbers they work with to tell a story about what they do and perhaps even more importantly, why they do it. 

At the March 20 OSCPA Town Hall, leaders of the Inspire PR Group, Hinda Mitchell, president, and Becca Thomas, director, presented “From Numbers to Narratives: Mastering Storytelling for CPAs.”  

Why should storytelling matter to CPAs? “We’re 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it has been wrapped in a story,” said Mitchell quoting cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner.  

By turning numbers into words, storytelling becomes a way for CPAs to connect with their key stakeholders.  

Storytelling is vital to CPAs because: 

• It delivers important information to clients in a memorable way 
• Instills trust and credibility 
• Humanizes a data-heavy profession 
• Engages up and coming professionals and accounting students 

“When you present information to clients or others within your business, you can use stories to tie everything together,” Mitchell said.  

Storytelling can also be a point of connection and shared values with young professionals and those coming in as students. 

As you work to develop your core message and narrative, consider what you want people to know and share about you. What does your work do? What differentiates your work from the other business partners advising your clients? 

“Speaking from your values has never been more important than it is today,” Thomas said. “When you build values into your story and data, and you tie that up with why and purpose, it will drive more decision making and action.” 

Best practices: 

• Be clear and succinct 
• Facts shouldn’t be the centerpiece of your story 
• Have a clear beginning, middle and end of your story 
• Be genuine and authentic 
• Define what success looks like 
• Reaffirm the listeners understanding 

Mitchell and Thomas encourage CPAs to build an “elevator speech” – a classic 30-second spiel that describes what you do and why you do it. Practice your speech, know your audience and avoid jargon. 

The Look Beyond campaign 

In the second half of the Town Hall, Dr. Tiffany Crosby, OSCPA senior vice president, explained how research and storytelling has influenced the development of OSCPA’s Look Beyond campaign which is designed to reframe the narrative about the possibilities in becoming a CPA. The campaign uses authentic stories from real professionals to highlight the influence CPAs have in driving innovation, shaping businesses and supporting communities. This campaign was driven by the collaborative efforts of The Ohio CPA Foundation, the Accountancy Board of Ohio’s Education Assistance Fund and the Ohio Accounting Talent Coalition (OATC). The OATC is a collective of Ohio employers, educational institutions, workforce development agencies, and talent partnerships launched last year to address Ohio’s accounting talent shortage. 

In the coming months, OSCPA will be releasing more information about innovative workforce initiatives and looking for volunteers to help scale efforts across the state.  

Wrap up 

OSCPA President & CEO Laura Hay, CPA, wrapped up the Town Hall by providing a status report on the budget amendments that were due March 14. A House floor vote is expected on April 9 to be followed by hearings from over 90 agencies and a Senate vote on June 12 before Gov. DeWine issues any line-item vetoes and his June 30 approval.