The Skill That Can Make or Break a CFO’s Career
Of the a lot of vitally important roles and obligations of a chief money officer, the capability to deliver powerful money presentations would very likely not make the prime 5. But as a lot of CFOs would attest, these presentations can make or crack careers. Provide a powerful and persuasive presentation and you’re a hero. Provide a rambling, unfocused one particular, and that future advertising is in jeopardy.
Above my many years in television, the two as a studio govt and a producer, I have experienced the great fortune to function intimately with folks who can move an viewers.
Currently, as a communications consultant to large-profile small business leaders, I function one particular-on-one particular with CFOs and CEOs who require to connect persuasive messaging to important audiences, the two smaller and massive. Below are 5 tips to assistance make sure a good presentation each individual time.
one. Craft your presentation for your viewers.
Each and every quarter, CFOs are so centered on gathering the information, verifying its validity, and generating the requisite slides to current that they don’t look at who will be on the acquiring conclude of that details. The way you current to analysts and shareholders is likely quite distinctive from presenting very similar details to the board of directors. Reverse engineering your presentation from the perspective of the viewers is a crucial to start with step.
2. Have a very clear message.
Once you have a psychological photo of who will be the receivers of the message, it is important to devote time considering about the principal message you are searching to connect. It is essential usually to preserve that message as your North Star for the reason that it will form the basis for providing it to the viewers. If it is an insider-primarily based viewers, your message can be a lot more detailed and specialized. If it is an outsider viewers, you will likely have to take complicated details and simplify it.
3. Create a narrative.
Numbers tell a story, and stories can be a strong device to assistance illuminate the figures engagingly and memorably. When I function with CFOs in making ready them for presentations, having them to imagine about the figures as a narrative can in some cases be difficult.
A newly minted CEO that I recently labored with advised me an off-hand story about an practical experience she experienced at her past enterprise. Unbeknownst to her, this story dovetailed perfectly into a stage she was seeking to make for an forthcoming quarterly earnings simply call. We expended time tightening it up for the simply call, strategized about its placement, and labored on weaving it in seamlessly.
The suggestions we acquired later was that the story was one particular of the prime takeaways from that simply call. When seeking to make a narrative, imagine of an practical experience from your function or private lifestyle that can make a visible link to your message.
four. Foresee inquiries.
Financial presentations are two-way discussions. Additional usually than not, CFO’s don’t devote sufficient time anticipating the inquiries that could occur with every slide or piece of details.
It is crucial to place by yourself in the position of the board member, trader, or analyst and ask by yourself what inquiries could occur. Arrive up with a checklist and craft the solution in producing. But make absolutely sure you also include the most difficult inquiries you can imagine of. If they don’t get requested, that is good. But you’ll go into your presentation with a lot more self-assurance recognizing that you’re armed for just about anything.
five. Rehearse.
John Wood, the famous UCLA basketball coach, famously mentioned, “Practice doesn’t make excellent. Ideal practice helps make excellent.” Devoid of good rehearsal, all the past function you’ve performed will be for naught. It is important to leave by yourself sufficient time to practice providing the information and crafting the narrative.
When I function with purchasers, I make absolutely sure we rehearse by replicating the practical experience as much as probable. That signifies practicing in the same room with the same equipment you’ll be applying for the precise presentation. Contain a dependable colleague on the staff and, if you can, document it. Though a lot of folks don’t like to see by themselves on video, this excess step separates a great rehearsal from a good one particular. Inquire by yourself, does it sense prolonged? Does it make feeling? Are there weak factors that could be strengthened? The only way to uncover out is with a official, recorded rehearsal.
I’m self-confident that incorporating some or all of these factors will pay out dividends in your future money presentation.
Rob Morhaim is president of Chicago-primarily based Morhaim Media Consulting, which operates with large-profile small business executives on helpful communications and presentation techniques.
