Classroom
14 sessionsOnline / Live
14 sessionsIntroduction
Course overview
This course covers the essential skills needed for finance staff to excel in their companies. From macro level management and financial overview to personal organization and time management, various skills are put into practice to help participants become more successful at the workplace.
What you will achieve
Learning objectives
- Identify the relationship between the various financial statements
- Explain the characteristics of 'delegation' and apply various personal organization management techniques
- Evaluate skills and attitudes of finance staff and identify their communication personality styles
- Practice some of the essential Excel skills to increase efficiency and productivity
- Apply finance policies and procedures to add value and communicate effectively with other departments
Who should attend
Target audience
- Financial managers, financial controllers, finance department heads, chief financial officers, accounting managers, senior finance officers, accountants, finance staff and analysts.
- Target Competencies
- Interpreting financial statements
- Delegation
- Communication
- Organization
- Time management
Methodology
Learning approach
- This course relies on a variety of individual and team exercises supported with role plays as well as individual and group presentations and Excel workshops.
Complete course outline
Course outline and key learning areas
The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.
Module 1
The macro finance picture
- Understanding the accounting cycle
- The income statement
- The balance sheet
- Changes in owners’ equity statements
- Cash flow statements
- The relationship of financial statements
- Functions of management
- Elements of a vision for finance and accounting department
- Effectiveness versus efficiency
- Supporting the operating departments
- Purpose of the finance and accounting function
Module 2
Personal organization and time management
- The new skills set
- Delegation and priorities
- Delegation characteristics
- Rules of delegation
- Handling meetings effectively
- Maintaining clean desk policy
- Managing your in-box
- Peak performance time
Module 3
Managing the finance function
- Hiring the best people
- Identifying recruitment criteria
- Developing interviewing skills
- Interpersonal communication
- Fundamentals of communication skills
- Personality communication styles
- The attitude and skills matrix
- Evaluating finance staff performance
- Employee motivation tools
Module 4
Key Excel functions and tools to enhance efficiency
- Consolidating multiple sets of data
- Applying control at the data entry through data validation
- Reconciling accounts by using 'vlookup'
Module 5
Organizing the finance function
- Teamwork skills in finance and accounting
- Assessing the need for team building program
- Finance as a project
- Organizing by function
- Organizing by purpose
- Staff duties and responsibilities
- The need for review and authorization procedures
- The authorization matrix and control of processes in organizations
- Cross training and backup strategies
- Scheduling the monthly accounting cycle
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does Professional Skills for Finance and Accounting cover?
This course covers Accounting and Finance through a structured five-day outline focused on practical application, discussion, and implementation planning.
When is the next available session?
The next scheduled session starts on 16 - 20 November 2026. See the course schedules section for the available dates and delivery formats.
Who should attend this course?
Financial managers, financial controllers, finance department heads, chief financial officers, accounting managers, senior finance officers, accountants, finance staff and analysts., Target Competencies, Interpreting financial statements
Is bilingual course delivery available?
Yes. All course materials and presentations are provided in English, while bilingual explanation and discussion support may be available depending on the selected location and trainer availability. For example, when attending a course in Istanbul, you may request a Turkish-speaking trainer to explain the English course content in Turkish. Arabic explanation support may also be requested at this location. Other languages are available in selected cities. You can choose your preferred language support as an optional preference during registration.
How can I register for a session?
Use any Register button next to the available course dates to open the participant registration page and submit your booking request for the selected session.
Is this course available online as well as classroom-based?
Check the course schedules section for currently published classroom and Online / Live sessions.
Where are classroom sessions delivered?
Current classroom venues include Istanbul, Vienna, Barcelona, Rome, Geneva, Madrid, London.
How long is the training programme?
The programme runs for five days, with up to five training hours per day, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Each programme includes a total of 25 training hours.
Quick request
Send quick request
Send a fast enquiry about this course and the academy team will get back to you.
Get a quotation
Request a formal quotation
Choose an available date and venue, add your participants, and we will email a formal quotation for Professional Skills for Finance and Accounting to your business address.
Global Learning for Operational Leaders