5 Tips for Interesting Financial Presentations

business meeting with one dude at the whiteboard looking back at the two people in the audience

No one would ever accuse a financial presentation of being interesting. Graphs, charts, and numbers abound. Even though it’s all important information, it can seem both overwhelming and blah.

So, if creating presentations like these is part of your role, you probably aren’t very excited about developing them either. Lucky for you, there are lots of good ideas and inspirations to take your presentation from sleep-inducing to interesting.

Present a Story, Not a Lecture

Stories are always more interesting than numbers. When you present the information, do so by answering the who, what, when, where, and why. Data intrigues the analytical side of the brain while a story entertains the creative side. The story explains the numbers.

Instead of just laying out what the projections are for the next quarter, talk about why and what’s driving the trend. You can express this in your presentation with unique data visualizations. You aren’t relegated to simple bar graphs or pie charts. (Check out our post on data visualization for some ideas.).

Don’t Use a Tired Template

If you aren’t restricted to using a corporate template then consider trying something new that your audience might not expect. This doesn’t have to be anything wild. In fact, it should be sleek, simple, and modern. With the right font, colors, and layout, your presentation won’t look like every other presentation the audience has seen.

Embrace Brevity

Too much text on any slide immediately makes eyes glaze over. Keeping things brief and concise on your slides will help your audience focus on what is most important. Instead of filling the slides with text, use concise copy and supporting photos or graphics.

Make Your Presentation Interactive

Don’t just feed people numbers and conclusions without any discussion. Ask questions and encourage your audience to ask questions, too. interaction improves attention, which leads to better recall. If your audience is interacting, they are listening.

Have a Clear Open and Close

Many great speakers of the modern era have started and ended presentations with an open and close. Steve Jobs always began his speeches with, “I have four things I want to talk about today.” This sets up an expectation with the audience. You could open your presentations in a similar manner.

Then at the close, do a quick recount of the most important parts of your presentation before allowing for more discussion.

Your financial presentations don’t need to follow old, rigid rules. Break free from ugly graphs and slides with too many lines of text. A more engaging presentation could be the difference between being memorable and forgettable. If you want to create powerful financial presentations but aren’t sure where to start. Start with us. Check out our financial presentation offerings today.

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