• Our November guest speaker is fellow AFWA member Monika Miles. Monika Miles did a presentation on Public Speaking at the Annual Conference this year in New Orleans. She did a great job pointing out common public speaking mistakes and also covered great tips. We all know we can always improve on our public speaking skills. If her presentation is similar to the one I was able to sit in on at the conference (and if we are lucky), we will get to see lots of pictures of her lovable boxer!

• Our Holiday Party is scheduled for December 9th at Board President Nicole Letellier's home - remember, no membership meeting in December! We will also be hosting a food drive to support the Second Harvest Food Bank. If you are not able to make it to the holiday party, but have canned food to donate, you can bring your food donations to the November membership meeting, contact any board member or send an email to [email protected] and we will be happy to pick up your canned food donations.

• Time to be thankful and give back. It's near year-end (time flies!) and you might be thinking of deductions and tax breaks to help with your 2014 tax filings. Donations to our scholarship fund are tax-deductible! Don't forget to show your support and appreciation of AFWA by donating to your local chapter, Silicon Valley. Of course we take donations year-round, but we are happy to take donations before the end of the year to help lessen your tax burden. 

To donate, click here.

Monika Miles 

Public Speaking

Register Here

Most people dread public speaking. Yet in careers in accounting and finance, there will be at least one occasion when we will need to present either to small groups, including clients and colleagues,  or to much larger groups including board presentations or for presenting technical CPE topics.

Register early! 

Nicole Letellier

AFWA - Silicon Valley Chapter President

A career in accounting and finance can take you in many different directions. You may work in public accounting as a tax preparer, auditor, or as a consultant. You may work for a small organization as Director of Finance, CFO, controller, or accounting manager. You may work for a larger corporation as financial analyst, financial investor, and lender. We may also be self-employed and have your own business. But it seems that whatever you do, you will find yourself in a position to have to stand up in front of others and make a presentation. I am not so sure that our education has prepared us and taught us the skills needed to perform a presentation efficiently while keeping the interest of the audience, and be comfortable doing it. Personally I found myself having to do presentation and I wished I was more prepared and had developed skills and tools to better perform when needed.

This month, we will all have a chance to learn and perfect our presentation skills with our speaker
Monika Miles, Miles Consulting Group. Monika is a member of our own chapter and she is past
President both at the local and National level. I am confident that I will be learning useful information
that will help me for my next presentation. I believe that public speaking remains the thing that people fear the most; they would rather eat dirt! I encourage you to attend our November meeting to learn how to develop your presentation talents and feel more comfortable next time you have to perform.

As always, I am looking forward to seeing all of you at our next membership meeting on November 25th, 2014 at the Biltmore Hotel & Suites in Santa Clara.

With my good wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.

Nicole Sheets

AFWA - Silicon Valley Chapter Secretary

Ever thought about working for yourself? There's the glamour of not having to report to anyone and being able to work whenever you want or where ever. Let's discuss the pros and cons of being self-employed. This could mean starting a business by yourself, or being a contractor for a business.

The most obvious pros are working by yourself and in your pajamas. If you work from home, you can save time on your commute and possibly save money by not needing to go out to lunch. Your dry cleaning bill will decrease, because you won't need to dress-up or where suits as much. If this business is a success, then that would be a great source of pride and accomplishment for you. If it's not so successful, you don't have to worry about being fired by anyone. When it comes to projects or clients, you get to pick who you work for, and what work you do. You are your own boss and can decide when you want to work.

Now let's discuss the cons. Working for yourself is really a way of life. You're not making money if
you're not working, and when you work is really determined by your clients and/or customers. They will most likely require you to work regular business hours during the day, so that they can contact you. Your clients could also determine your workload, and if your workload increases, you may have trouble finding anyone to assist you. Any work you do will come around from you personally looking for it or tracking it down. There won't be a marketing department to generate sales. By working by yourself, you don't have the comfort of a regular paycheck. You will also be responsible for reporting and paying your own taxes. Nobody will be paying the employer's share of the tax. You also won't be receiving any benefits, including vacation time or medical insurance. Hopefully you can be on someone else's insurance, or else you'll need to pay for this by yourself or go without medical. Finally, if the business is a failure this would be on your shoulders and could be a concern from the beginning.

This is not meant to discourage you from working for yourself, but to point out the pros and cons. The idea of being your own boss might be glamorous, but please make the choice with an open mind as to the whole picture.
  

You'd never know it, but Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn't like speaking to crowds. At parties, he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn't even show up in the first place. He prefers the latter. Yet,with some 22 million video views under his belt, the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most-watched TED Talks presenter of all time.

Ironic for an introvert, isn't it? Sinek's unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn't just dumb luck. It's also not being in the right place at the right time or knowing the right people. It's the result of fears faced and erased, trial and error and tireless practice, on and off stage.

We caught up with Sinek to pick his brain about how he learned to give such confident, captivating and meaningful presentations and how others can, too. 

Here are his top seven secrets for delivering speeches that inspire, inform and entertain. (For more helpful pointers on how to wow an audience, check out his free 30-minute class on Skillshare now. It's titled How to Present: Share Ideas That Inspire Action.)

Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage. "A lot of people start talking right away, and it's out of nerves," Sinek says. "That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear."  

Instead, quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. "I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it," Sinek says, "but it shows the audience you're totally confident and in charge of the situation."

Related: Why Entrepreneurs Love Steve Jobs

Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas, to get people to follow them on social media, buy their books or even just to like them. Sinek calls these kinds of speakers "takers," and he says audiences can see through these people right away. And, when they do, they disengage.

"We are highly social animals," says Sinek. "Even at a distance on stage, we can tell if you're a giver or a taker, and people are more likely to trust a giver -- a speaker that gives them value, that teaches them something new, that inspires them -- than a taker."

Scanning and panning is your worst enemy, says Sinek. "While it looks like you're looking at everyone, it actually disconnects you from your audience."

It's much easier and effective, he says, if you directly look at specific audience members throughout your speech. If you can, give each person that you intently look at an entire sentence or thought, without breaking your gaze. When you finish a sentence, move on to another person and keep connecting with individual people until you're done speaking.

"It's like you're having a conversation with your audience," says Sinek. "You're not speaking at them, you're speaking with them."

This tactic not only creates a deeper connection with individuals but the entire audience can feel it.

When you get nervous, it's not just your heart beat that quickens. You're words also tend to speed up. Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving then we know. "They want you to succeed up there, but the more you rush, the more you turn them off," he says. "If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long, deep breath, they'll wait for you. It's kind of amazing."

Sinek believes it's impossible to speak too slowly on stage. "It's incredible that you can stand on stage and speak so slowly that there are several seconds between each of your words and people... will... hang... on... your... every... word. It really works."

Dismiss the people furrowing their brows, crossing their arms or shaking their heads "no." Instead, focus only on your supporters -- the people who are visibly engaged, enjoying your presentation and nodding "yes." If you find the audience members who are positively interacting with you, you'll be much more confident and relaxed than if you try to convince the naysayers.  

Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics. A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question. "Were you nervous?" And all of the athletes gave the same answer: "No, I was excited." These competitors were taking the body's signs of nervousness -- clammy hands, pounding heart and tense nerves -- and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration.

When you're up on stage you will likely go through the same thing. That's when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud, "I'm not nervous, I'm excited!" "When you do, it really has a miraculous impact in helping you change your attitude to what you're about to do," Sinek says.

Applause is a gift, and when you receive a gift, it's only right to express how grateful you are for it. This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you. "They gave you their time, and they're giving you their applause." Says Sinek. "That's a gift, and you have to be grateful."

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

• Prestigious status of professional affiliation
• National contacts for networking and professional information
• Forum for CPE
• Scholarships
• Leadership opportunities in supportive arena
• Subscription to Accountability e-newsletter 
• National and regional conferences at a discounted rate
• Access to Career Center
• Access to AFWA's LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter groups and National online membership directory
• Discounted membership to the Institute for Management Accountants (IMA)
• Discounted products and services through affiliation agreements
  • CPA review courses, CCH tax & accounting books, Long Term Care Insurance and Bank of America credit card.

We encourage our membership to submit articles of interest for our monthly newsletter.  Please make your submission under the following criteria...

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The newsletter is prepared and distributed on a monthly basis.  Visit our web site atwww.afwasiliconvalley.org.  If you have questions regarding articles to submit or about the newsletter, email the newsletter chair, Edronda, at [email protected]

The Foundation is all about us, accounting and financial professionals, we strive every day to make a difference in the financial world and in our communities. 

The Foundation is charged with raising funds for national scholarships, and educational advancement of our peers and rising leaders. The Foundation offers each of us the opportunity to support the future direction of the profession where we have gained our own personal successes.

It is important to support those entering the profession and working alongside us. Those that follow in our footsteps have much to teach us and much to learn from us. They embody the next generation of accounting and financial professionals. Our goal for you and AFWA is to lead the way in their development.

Mission

The Foundation promotes and advances education, career development and leadership in finance and accounting. Our vision is to guide women along the path to achieve success in finance and accounting.

Don't miss this opportunity to network with other women in accounting and finance from across the country. Join us in New Orleans and learn from leading experts on ways to develop a variety of your skills. The Accounting & Financial Women's Alliance Annual Conference will be loaded with opportunities for networking, leadership development, education - including CPE credit hours - and fun!

You should attend if you are...

• Responsible for monitoring developments in accounting, taxation and finance
• Responsible for the quality and profitability of your company or firm
• Supervising and/or training accounting and finance staff
• Interested in developing a network of outstanding professionals.
• Ready to promote your company or product in today's marketplace
• A beginner or veteran, with or without a degree, in private or public accounting, finance or academia

What will you learn at the Accounting & Financial Women's Alliance Annual Conference?

• The latest technical developments in accounting, auditing, finance, tax, management, leadership, government and industry, including e-commerce, and budgeting and accounting software applications
• Motivational strategies that work
• Methods for effective management of people and the marketplace
• Effective means of identifying and responding to economic problems
• Valuable leadership techniques
• Means for achieving effective communication
• Professional contacts in a variety of industries

Need help convincing your organization to send you to our conference? Build your case and read our reasons why you should attend.

Stay tuned for session and registration details!