In her remarks to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy last week, FASB chairman Leslie Seidman announced a “new technique” to solicit feedback from the financial community regarding its standards convergence project with the IASB. Starting with the joint release of a revised exposure draft on revenue recognition in the next few weeks, the boards will hold workshops with representatives from certain key sectors, asking companies to prepare “before and after” examples of their common transactions under current GAAP and the proposed standard. “This will reveal whether companies understand the requirements and help identify any unintended consequences,” Seidman said. “We then plan to use these materials to discuss the results with users of financial statements to help them understand the nature of any changes that may result. We have other forms of field work planned,” she added, “which we view as an essential element of our due process to evaluate the costs and benefits of new standards. We welcome your input and involvement in the process.” In addition to addressing the status of the international convergence project, Seidman also discussed her views on the SEC’s proposal to incorporate IFRS and “where we stand on the issue of standard-setting for private companies.” Read her complete remarks here.