Effective Interviewing Skills for Internal Auditors

Overview

Today internal auditors are not recruited purely for their technical ability to carry out rigorous audits. We also need to have a good understanding of business processes and the organisational and regulatory context in which we are working. We need to be able to plan and manage the audit process so that quality audit results are delivered on time. But above all, internal auditors need to be able to empathise with their clients and build productive partnership relationships through their interpersonal skills.

Interviews are some of the most common situations in which we can practice our communication and interpersonal skills. Interviews take place at every stage of the internal audit assurance and advisory engagement lifecycle. And in plenty of other situations we can find ourselves in too, of course! Without effective interview skills, internal auditors are unlikely to be effective in undertaking our critical role and in influencing organisations’ behaviour in managing risk. 

This interactive course will show you how to understand the importance of interviewing within the internal audit process, how to conduct successful interviews and - as a result - how to better deliver effective, professional insight and internal audit assurance.

Target Audience

This course has been designed to be relevant to internal auditors, audit managers and chief audit executives from every business sector - private, public and voluntary - and for delegates with varying levels of practical experience. It is of most relevance to those who want to reflect further on the place and role of interviews within our internal audit processes, for those who want to enhance their skills in this vital area, or for those wishing to stay up to date with topical developments and CPE requirements.

Course Content

This course will take you through the following learning aspects:

• Introduction
• Types of internal audit interviews
• Structuring the interview
• Establishing rapport
• Effective questioning 
• Effective listening
• Body language
• Dealing with typical interview situations
• Questioning and fact-finding strategies

The course includes facilitator input, topical examples, short practical discussions and exercises to reinforce the learning and build upon your existing knowledge.

John Chesshire, CFIIA, QIAL, CRMA, CIA, CISA, has over 24 years' experience working in the internal audit, risk management, business improvement and governance fields. John is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute in the UK, an Independent Internal Audit Committee Chair, and was Chief Assurance Officer for the States of Guernsey until the start of 2021. He has delivered many well-received courses to IIA Belgium in the past, as well as to many other European Institutes of Internal Auditors. 

His other recent clients include FTSE listed companies, multinationals, central and local government, law enforcement, charities, professional services companies, and international organisations such as NATO, the OECD, and UN Agencies. He is a principal examiner for the Institute of Risk Management and has been a visiting lecturer in the Governance and Assurance Hub at Birmingham City University. 

He loves internal audit, is a great friend of IIA Belgium and particularly enjoys working in new and emerging areas of assurance interest.