In this installment of “Meet the Instructor” we sat down with Barry MacQuarrie. Barry is teaching two brand new sessions at Scaling New Heights entitled “The Art of Developing Your Authentic Presentation Style” and “Speaker Faux Pas.” We asked Barry to share with us why he teaches and why you should consider attending his classes. Here is what he had to say:
“Teaching is a privilege. I see it as an opportunity to share knowledge, exchange ideas and inspire people. I enjoy teaching because it gives me a chance to pass on what others have so graciously taught me. There is nothing quite like the thrill of being at the front of the room and seeing an audience member’s face light up as you sense that they are having an “aha moment!”
I am very excited to have the opportunity to teach at this year’s Scaling New Heights conference. The two sessions that I will be teaching are focused on presentation skills. As much as I enjoy being at the front of the room, it is one of the most nerve-racking things you can ever do! I enjoy teaching this subject as it allows me to share ideas that hopefully help others overcome their fears of public speaking and develop strong presentation skills.
I will be sharing the stage in each session with some exceptional speakers. In the first session, attendees will have a chance to experience several different speakers as they learn valuable presentation skills. These talented speakers will share their advice as they demonstrate their speaking styles.
In the second session, I will share the lectern with speakers who will purposefully make mistakes! These speakers will demonstrate some “don’t ever do that” speaking faux pas. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn valuable lessons from this great team of actors. In between their performances, I will be teaching presentation best practices and demonstrating proven ways to avoid these speaking faux pas.
Accountants are often called upon to be speakers. Some may be asked to deliver a keynote presentation or speak to a room filled with hundreds of business professionals. Others may routinely teach QuickBooks to groups of twenty or thirty. It is important that speakers learn skills that will enable them to deliver quality presentations.
Attendees of our two sessions at Scaling New Heights will learn speaking best practices as they experience the different styles of seasoned speakers. I hope that every attendee enjoys each of the presentations and takes with them ideas that give them the confidence and knowledge to deliver powerful presentations.”
About Scaling New Heights
Scaling New Heights is the largest event designed exclusively for QuickBooks ProAdvisors and produced in conjunction with Intuit. This year's event will take place May 22-25 at Atlantis in the Bahamas. You can learn more about the event by CLICKING HERE.
About Barry MacQuarrie
Barry MacQuarrie, CPA is a Consultant and the Director of Technology at KAF.
Barry combines his knowledge of accounting and technology to provide consulting services focused on cloud accounting solutions. His areas of expertise include cloud accounting apps, process improvement and technology management.
Barry is the founder of SocialCPAs and blogs at CloudAccountingConnects.com. He has been published in the MSCPA SumNews, Intuit’s Accountant News Central, the AICPA’s CPA Insider, the Boomer Bulletin and the Progressive Accountant.
Barry serves as a board member for Malden Teen Enrichment Center, as a member of the Governing Body of ATHENAPowerLink, as chair of the Babson College Alumni Technology Council and as a board member for Frank Says Hi. He has also served as a Vice President of his local Toastmasters Club and on the CCH User Conference Customer Advisory Committee.
Barry frequently presents on the topics of cloud accounting, presentation skills and social media. He has presented for Intuit, the AICPA, the MSCPA, CPA Crossings, Wolters Kluwer CCH, BizActions, TMANE, JHI Association, XCM Solutions, Boomer Consulting, and various CPA firm associations.
Barry is a member of the AICPA and served on their Information Technology Executive Committee and the Emerging Technologies Task Force. He is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and has served as the chair of the MSCPA Information Technology Committee.