What Makes a Successful Financial Presentation?

Young upstart, wippersnapper in a suit, holding a cup of coffee (what else, ugh) and looking down, kinda bummed. Behind him are a bunch of graphs and stats of MONEY stuff.

Financial presentations are all about data and numbers. The way you present this information is critical to getting your audience involved. The information presented should resonate with your audience, and at the end of the presentation, they should know the bottom line on what the numbers and data mean.

While financial presentations can often be complex, it’s a good idea to keep them relevant, as this keeps your audience engaged. When creating your next financial presentation, you should consider these attributes to make it a success.

Be Clear on Objectives

Why are you presenting this data and why does it matter? That’s the central objective you need to explain early and clearly. If the presentation is displaying quarterly sales and revenue numbers, then the objective may be to see where the company met goals as well as where it failed.

What’s the Story?

Figure out what the data is saying, rather than simply presenting it. This is where you tell the story behind the data and what it means. You can follow a three-part structure: beginning, middle, and end. Begin with describing where things were and how they’ve changed quantitatively. Then go over qualitative findings on the reasons for the changes. Conclude with next steps. Does further analysis or action need to be taken?

Go Beyond Charts and Graphs

Good presentation design helps to make a topic more understandable. Most people are visual learners, so avoid cramming your slides with text and numbers. Charts and graphs will help you get a lot more information across in a shorter period of time.

Use good data visualization to better interpret what the numbers and data mean. Infographics are another way to use visuals to engage your audience. While these are more intricate designs than simple charts and graphs, it’s worth the extra time and effort to successfully captivate your audience.

Encourage Conversation

Invite your audience to get involved by encouraging interaction and conversation. Ask questions at different parts of the presentation to keep them engaged and allow them to participate and respond. Avoid turning your presentation into a monologue.

How you communicate data has an impact on how your audience will perceive it. Discussing financial information can be a hit or miss, especially when figures and complex data are displayed, which is why you need to present details in a relatable manner.

Financial presentations are meant to convey the numbers, and not all audiences will be “numbers” people so it’s best to keep the information more digestible.


Want to take your numbers and data and turn it into a compelling story? Then talk to us—we’r

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