Commanding communication: insights from the Women Leaders in Audit luncheon

In the high-stakes world of internal audit, technical expertise is often considered the "baseline" hard skill. But at the Women Leaders in Audit event co-sponsored by EY and Optro, attendees discussed the importance of a certain soft skill for modern leaders: communication. The ability to influence stakeholders, navigate tough conversations, and lead through technological disruption is not just as critical as technical skill; in many ways, it can become a differentiator in your career.

But effective communication is often easier said than done, especially given the complex technical insights that auditors must share. Sometimes you’re speaking to people who don’t understand what you do. Sometimes, you must deliver uncomfortable truths to very senior audiences, which leaves you trying to build credibility with stakeholders who might view you as a roadblock. Not to mention you're doing all of this while leading teams through a time of massive technological and AI disruption.

Guest speaker Katie Burke from EY’s HPC Studio has direct experience as the technical expert in the room. She shared the communication framework the HCP Studio developed to help individuals in technology roles like audit command, not confound their audience, all while being their authentic selves. Here are the key takeaways from her session.

The HPC framework: Content, delivery, and state

Communication isn't just about what you say.

It’s a three-legged stool consisting of your content, your physical delivery, and your internal state of mind, Burke said. All three elements are necessary for effectively conveying information, which is why EY’s HPC Studio lives by them. Here is a breakdown of what each area means.

1. Content: moving from "logos" to "ethos" and "pathos"

To help explain the primary modes of communication and persuasion, Burke went back 2,000 years to the time of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. She said that there are three ways we share information.

The first, logos, involves logic and facts. The second is ethos, your credibility, and whether the audience trusts you. The third is pathos, or how the audience feels about the information — is it manageable, accessible, and actionable?

According to Burke, logos is the approach most individuals in technical roles take. However, “the problem with focusing almost exclusively on logic and the facts is that you're leaving out two-thirds of your creative persuasive power, and you're leaving out the two parts that really influence how people feel about you as a speaker, as a professional and as a leader,” she said.

Said another way, if your audience doesn’t trust you or know what to do with what you tell them, your well-prepared technical discourse will go in one ear and out the other.

What can help: Addressing your audience directly instead of making it all about you. This involves refraining from making “I” statements and trying “you” statements. This approach flips the focus from the speaker to the audience’s concerns, immediately building a bridge not just of relevance, but of empathy. Empathy, here, is not feeling sorry for someone because of some negative event. Rather, it’s your understanding as the communicator where your audience is at that moment. Do they have the same baseline knowledge as you? What must they know for this information to be relevant to them?

2. Delivery: the power of stillness and the pause

There’s a reason why body language, or non-verbal communication, has been so heavily studied. Our facial expressions, gestures, and even the way we’re standing can all convey information without uttering a word. And all speakers need to align what they say and how they look when saying it to earn their audience’s belief and attention.

For instance, remember the last time you were nervous. How did your body feel? Did you instinctively want to "get small" or fidget to release energy? Your audience picks up on these cues, and for them, they can signal a lack of conviction in what you’re saying. They can also distract them from the actual information you want to get across.

Keep in mind that this applies to both in-person and virtual communication. Just because you’re not standing up on a stage or in front of a conference room doesn’t mean your body language isn’t on full display. Expressions on a Zoom call can say a lot!

To help better project authority instead of anxiety, Burke suggests focusing on three physical pillars:

• Voice: Embracing the art of the pause does two things. First, it eliminates filler words such as "um.” Second, it gives your audience time to absorb what you just told them, which will help them keep following along.
• Body: Practicing openness, such as opening your arms, and stillness, such as avoiding pacing, can put your audience at ease.
• Eyes: In a virtual world, eye-level cameras are non-negotiable. Propping your laptop on books to reach eye level significantly increases the trust your audience has in you.

3. State: connection over perfection

Many high achievers face fears of imperfection. But think of when you’ve watched anyone present at anything, from an awards ceremony to a stand-up comedy routine. It’s likely they fumble words, make a joke, or otherwise make a mistake in their content. What can diffuse negative attention in a situation like this? Connecting directly with the audience and using the faux pas to fuel the rest of the performance. Auditors, too, can prioritize connection over perfection.

“Even in these moments that are dry and technical and data driven, there is always an opportunity for a little gesture towards who you are as a person, and that is an enormous part of being a powerful communicator,” she said.

She shared two tips to encourage this mindset shift.

The first is the “pregame ritual,” in which you create a "marker in time" before a big presentation. Whether it’s a specific song or a visualization, you can use this exercise to separate the stress of your day from the importance of the moment.

The second is reframing nervousness. Cortisol and adrenaline feel like fear, but they are chemically similar to the feeling of excitement. Think of how you feel during an intense workout or while running a race, for instance. You can feel a little nervous, but you can also feel super amped. When you’re communicating at work, tell yourself, "I’m feeling this because this is a high-stakes opportunity," and use that energy to power your presence.

“When you prioritize connection over perfection with your audience, you're kind of letting that go, and you're realizing that whether I get every fact perfect or whether I cover every fact is actually less important than forging this connection with the audience so they can see me as credible,” Burke said.

Practical strategies for your next presentation

The HCP framework can apply to any type of communication, whether it’s a one-on-one conversation or a team meeting. For audit leaders who would like to incorporate the framework into their next presentation, Burke shared a few strategies to consider.

1. Structure for maximum impact

Every good narrative, movie, argument, and presentation shares three common traits: a beginning, a middle, and an end. Structure makes audiences feel safe. But so often, we dive right into the middle, especially when the information is more detailed, dense, and factual.

To help reframe this tendency, think of how you bring your audience along in each part of the story you’re telling them. The HCP framework describes each as:

• The launch (beginning): Start with a hook that addresses the audience directly. Why should they care? Why should they get invested in this?
• The roadmap (middle): Chunk your information into three clear topics. What do they need to know and see to believe you?
• The landing (ending): What do you want them to feel and do when you leave? Take the last two minutes to "own the energy" with a closing statement about why the work matters or what the next steps should be.

2. Put the "moose" on the table

Don't ignore the elephant (or moose) in the room. If there is skepticism, a known roadblock, or an edgy question from your audience, address it gently and early.

“So often, when there's hesitation or resistance or something challenging, we just don't address it,” Burke said. “We pretend it's going to be fine, and we ignore the unspoken objections in the room. And it is so much more powerful to gently, even just briefly, head towards them just to say something like ‘Many of you have concerns about how we pull this off when we're already stretched. My goal is to help this feel both doable and exciting.”

Being a "truth-teller" rather than a "spin doctor" builds immense credibility with senior stakeholders.

3. Leverage feedback tools

You don't need a speaking coach to optimize your presentation. Tools already exist that auditors can use to make their next talk better than their last.

PowerPoint Rehearsal Coach, for instance, is an AI tool that provides a dashboard of your filler words, pacing, and eye contact during a presentation. Or you could simply record yourself with your smartphone or even a video conference tool. While uncomfortable, watching your own "up-talk," such as ending sentences like questions, or cultural inflections, is the fastest way to make targeted improvements.

As technical experts, it’s easy for women auditors to stay behind the spreadsheet. But in an era of AI and information overload, the ability to eloquently share your expertise can become the ultimate career accelerator. Try a few of these tips the next time you’re gearing up for an important team meeting or presentation, and see how they work for you.

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