Press and Media News

Thanks to our charisma “guinea pigs”

Last month top performance practitioner Nikki Owen offered up two free places to AccountingWeb members on her new “Audience with Charisma” seminar, as long as they would review it for us.

“An Audience with Charisma” will be held at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and is designed to “to increase an individual's level of charisma within 48 hours and provide tangible evidence of that increase using four different assessment tools.” It’s intended to help people develop stronger influencing skills and become better communicators.

The two volunteers we drew were Nerissa Payne and Daniel Freeman.

Nerissa said:

I read the article and did the online test (63%!) and now I have the uncomfortable feeling that I really should apply for this even though it's scary! I wasn't expecting so much of a focus on emotions and passion. Can you really be an accountant and still think that way?

I'm 37, ACA and CTA qualified and work as a tax manager here at ATF. I like my job but could never say accountancy is something I feel passionate about. I'm starting to think that lack of passion is getting in the way of my career advancement - but also I feel ambivalent about career advancement because I can't see how I can advance and still be 'me'. At the same time I have a secret interest outside work I'm wildly enthusiastic about but I can't tell anyone at work about because they would think it was a bit weird. In that life I am really authentic and have a very clear vision of how I would like my life to be - but that doesn't involve being an accountant. This seminar sounds like a fascinating chance to try to find a way through this dilemma.

Also, I had an appraisal the other day where for the umpteenth time I was told that I was perceived to lack confidence - so going on a charisma seminar and writing about it for AccountingWeb could possibly knock that one on the head once and for all!

Nerissa is a tax manager for the ATF Group.

Daniel said:

I put myself forward for the “An audience with Charisma” seminar because as a sole practitioner I enjoy the technical/analytical side of what I do but I also need to effectively ‘sell’ my services to new clients. Although I always get great feedback from existing clients, I need to try to translate and communicate that to potential new clients.

I don’t come from a “sales” background and because I don’t have to sell every day I’m sure I could do it far more effectively. Maybe I’ll even learn to enjoy this side of the business as well!

Danieal is director at Financial Modelling.

Will the seminar match their expectations? We wait with baited breath…

Thanks to everyone who volunteered, and commiserations to those who didn't get drawn.