~ GENERATING VALUE----_ .._---

Spearheading the accounting revo ution~

Mark Samowitz

What do you get when you cross an accountant and an entertainer? Accounting Comes Alive!

Afar cry from the world I had left behind in

Johannesburg - a chartered accountant at

Grant Thornton in Sandton - I was living my dream

as a singer/songwriter in New York City. I vividly

remember the phone call I received from Peter

Frampton, one of the founders of Accounting

Comes Alive International.

He was looking for trainers who were

accountants as well as entertainers to train a

new and exciting one-day workshop which could

teach anyone accounting in one day, no matter

what their level or background, using the technique

he co-developed called Colour Accountinq! and

employing the principles of discovery learning.

I was, to say the least, somewhat suspicious.

This seemed too good to be true!

Accounting students at universities, colleges and

business schools are pouring over their accounting

textbooks, memorising the laws and terminology

of this imposing subject while there are people

out there teaching it in a day with a song and a

dance? Reluctantly, I went to watch a workshop at

the Manhattan branch of UBS Bank. Employees

from a range of divisions in the bank - the bankers

themselves, IT staff, human resources, managers

and marketing personnel - were both eager and

nervous to embark on a journey to see if

accounting could indeed come alive. I was

convinced it was dead!

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What I witnessed that day literally changed my

life. I saw the invention of the car before my very

eyes. It was like everyone else in the world was

using a horse and cart and I had just witnessed the

first car in motion. In one day, delegates received

an understanding of debits and credits, of accrual

accounting, revenue recognition principles, actually

prepared a balance sheet and income statement,

analysed financial statements using ratio analysis

and were given the tools to converse in the

language of accounting with an in-depth

knowledge of accounting jargon and terminology.

As a chartered accountant, having spent seven

years trying to come to grips with some of the

technicalities discussed that day, my first response

was anger! Why did I have to go through all the

pain and suffering to make sense of all of this when

all I needed was accounting presented visually?

The use of pictures', storyboards, buckets and

tickets simplified the entire process.

The use of discovery learning ensures the

day is not a lecture - but rather facilitation, a

conversation where no one is left behind. Things

that people know, can see, touch and feel are

used to introduce concepts which were previously

inaccessible. Delegates leave the workshop feeling

completely empowered and enabled to read and

understand financials as well as converse in

accountancy jargon.

I wanted to be part of the accounting revolu-

tion - changing the way people learn accounting

allover the world, empowering people to have

a better understanding of the financial aspect of

their lives, their jobs and their businesses. I was

trained as a facilitator in Washington and began

delivering workshops to employees across the east

coast of the USA - bankers, lawyers, managers,

students, MBAs, not for profits - always with the

same reaction: "This is the best training I have ever

had"; "I have never learnt so much in a day and

had so much fun in the process"; "You taught me

something today many have tried in the past to

do but failed miserably." Delegates leave inspired,

invigorated and free - free from the shackles of

being financially illiterate.

The recent use of Accounting Comes Alive in the

world's most famous business schools - Harvard

and Wharton - further endorses the superiority of

the learning methodology and Accounting Comes

Alive is already becoming the preferred vendor in

the 'finance for non-financial managers' market.

This course is for anyone who is NOT an accountant,

yet has some need to make sense of, understand,

interpret and make decisions based upon budgets

and financials in general.

(Mark Samowitz has presented Accounting Comes Alive atBidvest Academy IX. Visit www.accountingcomesalive.comfor more information.)

---_._-_._----~ GENERATING VALUE

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Accounting Comes Alive revolutionised the way BidvestAcademy delegates view this financial function

Natasja Ooshuizen, Crown National For the first time I understand debits and credits,

Warren Ockynuys, Manica It just showed me that accounting can be

easily understood,

Karen Kelly, SA Bulk Terminals Gave me a better understanding of reading annual

financial statements and balance sheets,

Loshni Govender, It simplified the process and created a picture.

Bidfreight Port Operations

Paul van Rooyen, TMS Gives a meaningful insight into accounting.-

Nicole Harper, Voltex Encourages you to think out the box and allows

for the logical flow of information.

Laurens Koekemoer, Patleys I now have an excellent overview of accounting.

William Matladi, Waltons It has taken away the fear in accounting.

Tshepo Thipe, First Garment Rental Getting rid of the myths and dealing with facts,

keeping it simple.-

Preeban Munian, McCarthy Gives me a new perspective on numbers.

Fran ita Gerrits, Opened my eyes. Better understanding of

Chipkins Catering Supplies accounting principles.

BIDVOICE ISSUE 1 2010 I> 13