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The art of making numbers talk
Published 7 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader,
We hear a lot these days about how finance pros should focus more on storytelling. For many of us, it sounds daunting.
"I’m here to make sense of numbers, not write stories!"
But here’s the thing - storytelling in finance isn’t new. It’s something we’ve always done. Think about those board meetings where we explain why the numbers look a certain way or those financial reviews where we connect the dots between performance and strategy. That's storytelling.
My goal here is simple: take the pressure off and show you that, as finance professionals, you already have everything you need to tell compelling stories. You just need to sharpen them a bit.
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Here arethe phases and steps you need to follow in order to master financial storytelling:
#1 Define Your Audience
The first step in financial storytelling is to define your audience. Who are you presenting to, and what do they need to know? Understanding your audience will help you tailor your message to their needs and make it more engaging.
For example, if you’re presenting to executives, you may need to focus on the high-level implications of the data, whereas if you’re presenting to investors, you may need to provide more detailed information.
How can you improve it?
Ask questions and gather information about your audience beforehand to tailor your message to their needs.
#2: Identify The Key Points
Once you know your audience, you need to identify the key points that you want to communicate. These should be the most important findings, recommendations, or insights from your analysis.
It’s important to focus on the most critical data and avoid overwhelming the audience with too much information.
How can you improve it?
Focus on the most important findings, recommendations, or insights from your analysis, and avoid overwhelming the audience with too much information.
#3: Create A Narrative
Once you have identified the key points, you need to create a narrative that ties them together. This narrative can be a story or a logical sequence of events leading to your recommendations.
The narrative should be engaging and easy to follow, helping the audience understand the context and relevance of the data.
To create an effective narrative, you should consider the following:
Start with a clear introduction that sets the scene and provides context for the data.
Identify the key challenges or opportunities that the data presents.
Develop a story that connects the data to the challenges or opportunities and leads to your recommendations.
Use anecdotes or examples to illustrate your points and make the narrative more relatable.
Keep the narrative concise and focused on the key points.
How can you improve it?
Use storytelling techniques to make your message more engaging and easy to follow. Consider using anecdotes or examples to illustrate your points.
Learn the rest of the phases of financial storytelling and get my tips on creating the best presentation in my website article.
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This is one of the reasons that I partnered with Soufyan Hamid, the #1 expert in financial storytelling, to help you learn this essential skill.
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