It’s a scientific fact that a person’s body gestures give away his true intentions.  Actually, over ninety percent of all face-to-face or face-to-computer conversations derive from nonverbal clues. Conveying competent and ethical behavior, both on virtual conversations and from 6-feet away, is of utmost importance.

Since our body language, the most crucial and sound part of our personality, “speaks the loudest,” it is imperative that we learn how to apply appropriate and deliberate nonverbal gestures that display confidence, exude integrity and create a sense of trust during virtual calls.  Since social distancing conditions seem to intensify uncertainty and fuel anxiety, every aspect of our role as tax preparers is now magnified and complicated.

Body language expert Jan Hargrave teaches you the ways in which your body communicates to the world around you.  As the nation’s leading behavioral authority, Jan will provide you with the nonverbal behaviors/practices that exude trust, display competence and build credibility during virtual conversations and at in-person events.  Discover how to:

• Communicate ideas clearly, impressively and powerfully during conversations.
• Engage the fundamentals of ethical and professional nonverbal intelligence (NI) as set forth in the IPT guidelines for all members.
• Demonstrate respect for the key moral principles of honesty, professionalism, and dignity.
• Employ the “TRIPLE-THREAT-Communication Method.”  Learn to demonstrate meaningful eye contact, purposeful gestures and intentional body posture to develop clarity during virtual meetings or in-person events.
• Become familiar with the facial expressions of emotions (interest, curiosity, attention, contempt, anger, disgust, happiness).  
• Detect fraudulent/deceptive claims: learn to read the “micro-expressions” of deception, craftiness and cunningness during conversations.
• Decipher quick ways to sharpen rapport and likeability through mirroring and matching.

CPE: 1.5 hours

Field of Study: Communication

Knowledge Level: Basic

Prerequisites: None

Culture generates a ripple effect throughout the organization, impacting the organization’s performance, its brand and reputation.

Internal Audit’s unique position within an organization enables it to gain knowledge and insight about the business in its entirety and understand the pressure points. Auditors utilize their skills at evaluating the adequacy and effectiveness of governance, risk management, and controls to analyze performance gaps, root causes and evaluate action plans. IA is independent, objective, and is trained to maintain confidentiality, yet speak up when needed on sensitive issues.

IA is uniquely positioned to assist its stakeholders in creating and promoting the desired culture, as well as evaluating, monitoring, and enhancing corporate culture. As such, culture audit is among those “big impact audits” that can bring about significant, pervasive changes to the organization. This session will focus on using the Governance and Internal Audit Maturity Model to determine the relevant corporate culture assurance and advisory services.

The learning objectives for this session are:

1. Define corporate culture
2. Recognize the drivers for culture audit
3. Begin to offer, expand or optimize culture audit services

CPE: 1 hour

Field of Study: Auditing

Knowledge Level: Basic

Prerequisites: None

According to the Harvard Business Review, the busy executive spends 80% of his time listening to people and still doesn’t hear half of what is said. Since effective communication consists of reception, interpretation and understanding of messages, learning to listen in a strategic manner is absolutely essential to becoming an effective internal auditor.

Attendees will:

1. Learn to listen with increased attention and truly appreciate the value of listening.
2. Discover the critical elements of effective communication for (hearing vs. listening).
3. Understand the listening process (sender/receiver) and its relationship to effective leadership.
4. Develop key listening skills that aid in communication effectiveness.
5. Distinguish between factual and emotional listening (right/left brain information processing).
6. Recognize how good listening habits are the foundation for building meaningful relationships.
7. Identify how tone of voice, eye contact, facial expressions, body angle, arm and leg positions, and general body language reveal secrets of the true message.

CPE: 1 hour

Field of Study: Communication

Knowledge Level: Basic

Prerequisites: None

Artificial intelligence or “AI” is often referred to though the capabilities of AI are generally not well understood as well as the value that may be obtained. There isn’t yet even a single set of AI terminology that can be agreed upon to use. Tanmay will answer the questions of what AI is, what it's capable of, what it’s not capable of, and how might AI be used by internal auditors in their professional and personal lives.

During the presentation, Tanmay will display transforming examples of this power.

CPE: 1.5 hour

Field of Study: Information Technology

Knowledge Level: Basic

Prerequisites: None

The cannabis industry is evolving. Some states have legalized medical marijuana use and other states have also legalized recreational marijuana use. This session will focus on the cannabis industry and introduce its supply chain, customers and third parties. Besides the personal use and direct sales of cannabis, derivatives, such as hemp is being added to products such as lotions, toothpaste, mouthwash, oil, and others. In addition to the direct cultivation of cannabis, the cannabis industry is supported by numerous ancillary services such as information services, banking, security, shipping, construction, equipment, and packaging, to name a few.

Delivering insight into the cash handling requirements and inventory controls, Mr. Waggoner will describe the risks, controls, and compliance requirements of a dispensary from the federal and state level perspectives. At the federal level, the Cole Memorandum, although it has been rescinded, is still used for guidelines on how states will allow cannabis programs. FinCEN Guidelines provides guidance on cash handling and tracking, and the Controlled Substance Act, (CSA)provides guidelines for how inventory tracking of a controlled substance is to be handled by operators of cannabis businesses. State required compliance includes security, badging, record keeping, surveillance, public health and safety, and inventory, and system controls.

The learning objectives for this session are:

1. Attendees will gain an overview of the cannabis industry, its - products, supply chain, customers, and third parties.
2. Attendees will be introduced to basic terminology.
3. Attendees will understand compliance required of the cannabis industry.
4. Attendees will understand the risks and controls of a cannabis dispensary.

CPE: 1 hour

Field of Study: Auditing

Knowledge Level: Basic

Prerequisites: None

This session is designed to reinforce the need for discipline and commitment from internal auditors to pursue continuous monitoring to drive audit strategy and influence enterprise actions. Session topics will take participants through ideas about why continuous monitoring is important, how to commit to it, how to perform it, common pitfalls, and finish with ideas around how to optimize relationships to influence actions. Examples of communications, agendas, templates, and methodologies are shared to connect ideas to practice. Participants should leave the session motivated to take the risk and commit to continuous monitoring in a way they haven’t in the past.

The learning objectives for this session are:

1. Introduce and define continuous monitoring for any internal auditors that are unfamiliar
2. Reinforce the importance of continuous monitoring and how it can enhance strategy, as well as influence enterprise actions away from audits
3. Motivate internal auditors to apply discipline and commitment when pursuing continuous monitoring

CPE: 1 hour

Field of Study: Auditing

Knowledge Level: Basic

Prerequisites: None

CPE: 1 hour

Field of Study: Auditing

Knowledge Level: Basic

Prerequisites: None