What are the best ways to present financial information to non-financial stakeholders? (2024)

1. Never miss a chance to apply the right color combinations to keep the audience's interest2. Too many icons create a panic so minimize use.3. Depending on the group size and level of connectedness, you could apply familiar themes, terms, and cliches in your storytelling. For example, 3 consecutive periods of above-target performance for the same business unit or team is a "hattrick" for sports fans.

Having been a volunteer Treasurer for a non-profit, I often had to present financial information to the Board of Directors, many of whom were not analytical. I found that using bullets and graphs worked best, as the visual aspect was easier for them to see trends and comparisons than spreadsheets. Verbal commentary could go deeper for those that were more prone to wanting a greater level of detail.

The use of visual aids such as graphs or charts. Provision of background information and above all, you have to keep it simple and entertaining.

Here are a few tips:*Round off the numbers as it helps to read out.*Common size the key figures.*Use charts and graphs.

1. Understand the story you want to tell and decide the key messages to be communicated. Strip out the rest. 2. Don’t just state the stats, show trends and relationships using visually appealing graphs. 3. Be concise and always put yourself in the viewers shoes who doesn’t have the detailed context you do. 4. Anticipate the follow up questions they might ask and refine your presentation to accommodate this.

The goal is to help them understand your point of view. Comparable data, such as prior year financials, can help when explaining changes in financial information.

Give them enough information so you can your point across. No more/no less. Be ready to back up your data with "back pocket" slides, but they should rarely be used.

Creative tips for telling a story to non-financial stakeholders could be to:* Use analogies and metaphors to make complex information more relatable.* Use humor to engage your audience and make your presentation more memorable.* Use storytelling techniques to make financial information more interesting and engaging.* Use visuals to illustrate your points and make your presentation more visually appealing.* Be passionate about the financial information you are presenting.

You should *always* be telling a story whether to financial or non-financial audiences. Stories are more memorable and easier to get people to understand a call to action.

1. Be straightforward; avoid complexity.2. Use graphs and charts to visualize data.3. Emphasize important measures and their importance.4. Tell a compelling tale that connects data to corporate strategy.5. Make use of benchmarks and comparison data.6. Give the financial figures some context.7. Add projections and scenarios.8. Be ready to participate in conversations and field inquiries.9. Use technology to your reporting advantage.10. Communicate with audience in mind.11. Promote involvement and answer queries.12. Provide supplementary materials to stakeholders who value specifics.13. Conduct follow-up and give frequent updates.14. Foster trust by being open.15. Take into account offering financial literacy instruction.

Provide adequate time for questions and comments especially on key performance indicators, your revenues, operating costs, new projects - how well they are doing, for new markets or exiting a particular market - give reasons and due diligence report. Take note of suggestions and report back on these in future - adopted or not.

Make sure you come out of the presentation with identifed actions points and oweres, so the result of such meeting is effective.

A budget contains economic and financial data, and it is mainly for executives with a Finance background.Anyway, it is a plan for the whole company so all of the team members have to know the targets and numbers (the ones that the company decides to share).Therefore I think Finance guys have to do efforts to make numbers understandable for the different stakeholders, also giving same basic tools to read basic Finance numbers

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