The 7 deadly sins of finance presentations
Using the standard list of the seven deadly sins as a guide, here are seven things to avoid when giving a finance presentation.
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Microsoft’s new default font has arrived.
You will notice over the next few months that the default font in your Microsoft apps will change from Calibri to Aptos. If you want to see what Aptos will look like it is already available in Microsoft Word under its original name of Bierstadt – which means beer town. I don’t particularly like Calibri but it is OK. My issue with its deployment in Microsoft’s apps is that the default point size was too small.
ChatGPT is a tool, not a finished product.
A hammer and chisel are tools. In the right hands they can be used to create wonderful works of art. In most hands they create rubble. A person has to learn how to use a tool and practise over and over until they become an expert. This is as true about accounting tools like Excel as it is for the hammer and chisel. ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence services that are popping up all of the internet and inside software applications are tools.
3 ways to grab the reader of your finance reports.
If you want the receivers of your finance reports to read them then you need to grab their attention at the top of your document. If you fail to do that they’ll skim your report (at best) or just do something else. Here are three ways you could start a finance report that will keep the reader reading. ✅ Make an unexpected or controversial statement (followed by supporting evidence). If making a bold statement is too much for you, you could instead re-frame the statement as a question.
You don’t have to use long words to be professional.
I think somewhere during the journey towards a professional accounting qualification we adopt accounting-speak. Some of the words we learn are very specific, technical terms and we have to use them. I’m thinking of words like depreciation and recognition.
Do you want a signed copy of my book?
One of the nicest things about being an author is signing a copy of your book for someone. I don’t get to do as often as I’d like now the world is more about e-books and online learning, but sometimes I do.
A hard truth for accountants: you need to be good with words as well as numbers.
Doing some great analysis and having useful insights counts for little if you cannot communicate them and yet these skills are not a core part of accounting training. As a result many accountants and auditors are not as good at written communication as they need to be. Chris Argyris wrote a seminal article for Harvard Business Review entitled, Teaching Smart People How to Learn. The gist of the article is that smart people are almost always successful at what they do.
Always plan for the unexpected
Last week I was teaching in person for the first time in 18 months. I have been teaching finance courses for more than 15 years using presentation software and over that time I have learned that sometimes things go wrong.
Fortunately, nothing has been catastrophic for me but I am always prepared to deal with the unexpected.
How to make your audience remember your finance presentation
I Feel Fine by the Beatles is a fantastic pop song but it does not have an ending, it just fades out. I guess Lennon and McCartney did not have time to work out a proper ending (unlike with Help!) and the song feels unfinished.
You don’t want the finance presentation you spent hours creating to end with a fade out.
Pro tip: Don’t start a finance presentation with a joke
Unless: 😂 It’s a good joke 😂 and you are good at telling jokes. Therefore, for most of us: no jokes. There is another serious reason not to start with a joke. The primacy-recency effect means your audience are more likely to remember the beginning and end of your presentation than the important bit in the middle. Do you want them to remember your joke or your message? Instead of a joke, therefore, I suggest you start your presentation with a promise.