Course Information
Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, Perform Better Audits
Parking for SAO, Professional Development courses is in Garage B (1511 San Jacinto Blvd.). The Garage signage may read 1511 San Jacinto or Garage B. The elevator in Garage B is not reliable. If you are unable to walk the stairs, please contact the professionaldevelopment@sao.texas.gov for alternate parking arrangements. Handicapped parking is free at the meters around the downtown area.
A course coordinator will Email you a parking permit prior to the course start date. A permit must be displayed or you will be ticketed.
Course Description
Do you struggle with asking clients the right questions? Inquiry and observation are two of the most important internal auditing skills. The ability to ask appropriate questions is powerful.
Curiosity is the cornerstone of internal auditing. Curiosity requires auditors to ask a lot of questions. Continuously questioning clients is difficult. This course provides the tools you need to effectively ask questions. Often auditors know what to ask, but many struggle with how to ask and how to listen.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
Identify and discuss the five elements of effective questions
Understand the power of questions
Identify and understand client personalities
Describe and avoid the barriers to asking good questions
Utilize a five step approach to ASK better questions, GET better answers, PERFORM better audits
Detailed Course Outline
1. Break down bad question barriers
2. 5 Critical elements of quality questions
3. The communication cycle
4. The 5 personalities to ponder
5. The power of questions
6. The evolution of auditors
7. Gain confidence to be competent
8. The Actual Questions Count
9. Clarity and Context are Key
Prerequisites
No prerequisites required.
Instructors
Robert Berry is an international speaker/presenter/trainer focusing on risk management, internal auditing and soft skills. He is a frequent and highly rated speaker / trainer at many industry conferences.
Robert is also a writer / author. He has penned more than 100 articles on risk, audit and compliance on his company’s blog and for multiple industry publications.
His company, That Audit Guy LLC, focuses on training individuals in person, live virtually and through on demand courses. Robert has several private clients and also delivers training directly to consumers.
He has written two books directly related to internal auditing. Ask, Get, Perform: The Auditors Essential Guide to Asking Better Questions, Getting Better Answers, and Performing Better Audits broke the top 50 on Amazon in the US and hit #1 in France. His other book, Creating Wonderful Workpapers: The Auditor's Essential Guide to Delivering Good Documentation, is highly recommended on Amazon.
Robert is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Six Sigma Greenbelt and a Certified Virtual Presenter.
Additional Information
TAC Rule 523.142(g) requires the CPE Sponsor to monitor individual attendance and assign the correct number of CPE credits. Participants will be asked to document their time of arrival and departure in compliance with this Rule. Additionally, attendance will be monitored throughout the day and CPE certificates will reflect actual attendance of each participant.
If you are making travel plans to come to Austin, we recommend making "refundable" air and hotel reservations or waiting until 14 days before the class to actually book your reservations. Courses are occasionally canceled or rescheduled due to low enrollment. We determine whether a course has enough participants 16 days prior to the course date. If we cancel or reschedule, we will email the participant and his or her billing contact no later than 14 days before the original class date.
The course coordinator will contact you with parking information. Handicapped parking is free at the meters around the downtown area.
Vending machines with Coca-Cola products and various snack items are available. There is also a refrigerator and microwave in our coffee bar area. Feel free to bring in your own drinks and food if you prefer.
You might want to bring a light sweater or jacket, as room temperatures vary.
To see answers to our Frequently Asked Questions, visit http://www.sao.texas.gov/training/faq.html.