EYCC

We train hundreds of accounting students each
year to become better business communicators.
In our work, we teach students to think alone and together. To arculate ideas
with clarity and confidence. To have difficult, yet necessary conversaons.
To contribute in meaningful ways toward achieving a team goal.

Maximizing Resources
Over time, we have maximized our resources by delivering
more services with the same staffing allocation of two, halftime
communication consultants.
In the EY Communication Center
Since the current director started in AY 2011-12, we have increased
consultaons by an average of 17% without increasing staff (i.e., from
828 to approximately 972).
As an example of the services we provide, the EYCC held 975
consultaons with students in AY 2017-18.
440 Writing
313 Presenting
218 Interviewing
4 Other

In the Classroom
Also, since AY 2011-12, we have increased
course evaluaon support by an average
151% without increasing staff (i.e., from
414 to approximately 1,038).
As an example of our course support, in
AY 2017-18, the EYCC provided 1,042
evaluaons of accounng students’
communicaon.
541 Presenting
405 Writing
96 Facilitation
Plus, we design and deliver workshops for about 500 students a year.
Designing and Delivering Engaging Presentaons
Wring Effecve Business Memos
Wring with Coherence, Clarity, and Concision
Detecng and Avoiding Logical Fallacies
Communicang Effecvely in Teams
Leveraging the Art of Small Talk
Mastering Behavioral Interviews

Providing a Positive Experience
Students find value in the help we offer.
Over me, we have limited requiring students to visit the EYCC; as a
result, more students have visited the EYCC voluntarily.
AY 2011-12 AY 2017-18
At the end of EYCC consultaons, students complete a survey; every year
the results indicate students enjoyed their experience and learned valuable
skills. For example, in AY 2017-18, students rated the consultaon (M =
6.59, SD = 096, N = 908) and the consultant (M = 6.77, SD = 0.82, N = 906)
highly. (Scores are on a 7-point scale; higher numbers indicate a more posive experience.)
Consultation Value 6.59
Consultant Quality 6.77

Student Feedback
“[The consultant] is great at talking through examples and then helping
me come up with an idea of my own.
Really enjoyed working with the EYCC. They provide a lot of help and
feedback on things you might not think of while preparing for a
presentaon or paper.
Very helpful. And people here are really nice!
I received wonderful advice that I can use throughout my life.
[The consultant] was wonderful - very helpful - and helped me feel
more confident in my interviewing skills and how to best approach an
employer.
I was able to learn a lot about communicaon and presentaon skills.
I feel more prepared and confident to lead my recitaon and speak in
front of a classroom of students.
Very helpful! I feel like my presentaon skills improve with each visit.
It helped us idenfy what was missing in our presentaon.
[The consultant] helped bring our ideas out on the table and beer
shape the theme of our presentaon.
It was very helpful to watch the presentaon back. It allowed me to
really see what I was doing and should help me to correct any future
issues.
It has been very helpful! I am becoming a much stronger writer.

Integrating Communication Training
into the MSA Curriculum
We also revamped COM 875, Communication
Leadership Skills in Organizations, making the course
a required, rigorous part of the MSA curriculum.
The course develops students’ skills in the following:
Communicang Effecvely in Teams
Facilitang Producve Meengs
Using Persuasion Strategies at Work
Delivering, Seeking, and Receiving Feedback
Delivering Clear, Engaging, and Persuasive Presentaons
Wring Coherent, Clear, and Concise Business Documents
During the summer of 2017, the Department of Accounng and
Informaon Systems interviewed MSA graduates who were one to
five years into their careers about how their courses prepared
them for work. Graduates indicated COM 875 was the MSA course
that best prepared them for their accounng careers.

Modeling Excellence and Innovation
We strongly believe in living what we teach.
We know each interacon with a student maers in helping them
understand what professional communicaon means. Thus, the
EYCC’s physical space, technology, tools, and people must model best
pracces. Addionally, we realize our commitment to excellence and
innovaon reinforces EY’s mission to build a beer working world.
Here are some ways we have excelled and innovated:
Created Award Winning Renovaons
Recognized by the AICPA for a Team Communicaon Event using
Mystery Dinner Theater Actors
Brought Training in Improvisaonal Speaking to MSA Students
Incorporated Escape Room Challenges into the Communicaon Course
Developed Original Best Pracce Guides and Rubrics

Leaving a Lasting Impact
Our work with students has a lasting, positive impact in
making students better accounting professionals.
“ I am sing here trying to write a memo for work and started to
think about COM 875. Without queson, COM 875 is the first
class in my life that taught me how to convey meaning with
absolute clarity. My wring and speech has been changed
forever. Since the fall of 2013, each sentence must pass a simple
test: would the EYCC approve? I hope your class is sll kicking
some grad student behind. I know you would never let anything
compromise the value of your course. Trust me, the students will
be forever grateful.
I want to thank you for the level of hard work and dedicaon
you perform while teaching us students. You really care about
helping us learn all the communicaon parculars, and I
appreciate all you and the GAs shared with us. You and the GAs
provided me with a valuable stepping stone toward truly
effecve communicaon. I will connue to expand and apply my
communicaon skills as I begin my professional career.
I’m so excited to share with you that I got a return offer from EY
in the Detroit office! Thank you for helping me with my resume,
cover leer, and interview pracce. I do not think I would have
goen this offer without your help.
I just finished my internship at EY this summer, and I had to give
a presentaon to a group of managers and a partner at the end
of the internship. I used the presentaon strategies I learned in
COM 875 and the EYCC, and the partner told me my presenta-
on was one of the best presentaons an intern has ever given.
EY gave me a return offer, and I accepted. I tell everyone they
should take your class.