Top 10 Tips for Building More Engaging Financial Presentations for Business Units

As a corporate finance professional, one of the essential skills you need is the ability to create engaging financial presentations. The process can be challenging, especially when your audience is business units that don’t have a financial background. But when done right, a compelling financial presentation can be an effective way to communicate important financial data and insights.

Here are ten tips that will help you build more engaging financial presentations that will resonate with your target audience.

1. Understand Your Audience

The first step to building an engaging financial presentation is to understand your business units. Make sure you know what information is most important to them and how they prefer to receive it. This knowledge helps to create a presentation that speaks directly to their needs.

2. Keep It Simple

Complex financial data can be overwhelming, leading to disengagement. You need to simplify the data by using clear charts, concise language, and focusing on key takeaways. Highlight the information that’s most relevant to the business units and leave out the rest.

3. Tell a Story

Like any good presentation, a financial one also needs to tell a story. By turning financial figures into a story, business units can better understand the context and implications of the data. Use a logical flow that takes the business units on a journey of discovery to arrive at the final decision.

4. Engage with Visuals

Adding relevant visuals, including charts and diagrams, can help to illustrate numerical data in ways that are more memorable and engaging. Use the right visual to jump out of the presentation and bring the data alive.

5. Use a Consistent Theme

A consistent theme can improve the retention of the presentation by tying everything together in a recognizable format.

6. Don't Overload the Slides

Limit the number of bullet points and text on each slide to keep the presentation concise and easy to follow. Break up text-heavy slides with relevant visuals to keep the business units engaged.

7. Use Real-Life Scenarios

People are much more likely to remember a presentation when the material relates to something real. So, use a real-life scenario that the business units can relate to. This method adds value to the presentation by providing practical applications for the data.

8. Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice your presentation until you're confident that you can deliver the material clearly and engagingly. It will help you to understand and sort out any errors in your presentation.

9. Use Examples and Analogies

Use examples and analogies to help business partners understand the impact of financial models on their specific operations.

10. Leverage reporting and BI technology

Allow financial presentations to be more visually stunning and become dynamic such as by offering drill-through to detail numbers.

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