As a corporate finance professional, you’re living and breathing the data and putting your sharp analytical skills to use.

But in a corporate setting, you’re often asked to translate your work for others in your organization—something that can feel like a tall order if they have little to no knowledge of finance or accounting.

If you’re ready to grow as a financial leader and communicator, these five questions can help you meet people where they are to have effective financial conversations.

1. Who are the stakeholders in this conversation?

If it’s a one-on-one conversation, that’s easy. But if you’re walking into a presentation with multiple people, it’s important to know who the key players are beforehand.

This doesn’t mean everyone isn’t important and that you shouldn’t strive to engage them; it just means you might prioritize making sure stakeholders are a part of the conversation and are getting the information they need most.

2. What challenges are they facing?

Companies are dynamic. While everyone is working toward the same goal, every team has its own set of challenges. The manufacturing team, for example, is navigating supply chain issues while the sales team is trying to sell the value of the product to a client with budget cuts.

As a financial leader, it’s important to stay in tune with these challenges to not only be able to present the right info they need, but also to help them solve problems. This means you can't just be an expert on finance; you have to be a well-rounded expert on the company and the industry.

Take time to get to know team members across divisions over coffee or lunch, and don’t hesitate to take initiative and request opportunities to learn more about the problems they’re solving and how you can help provide a unique insight.

3. What language do they speak?

Every team is going to have their own metrics, jargon and information that gets them excited. Being able to communicate well with non-financial stakeholders requires cutting down on your own financial jargon that can cause confusion or lack of understanding. It also pushes you to consider how to talk to them in their own language. How can you put things into their terms?

4. What story can I tell?

Storytelling isn’t just a buzzword. It’s an effective way to share information in an impactful way.

“When conveying a message, whether in a conversation or a major presentation, you want it to stick,” writes Steve McNully on CFO.com. “By painting a picture with your words, leveraging imagery, emotion, analogies, metaphors, humor, and the other ingredients of storytelling, you are more likely to succeed.”

For example, McNully shared that when people asked how much soup a Campbell’s facility produced, he would often say enough cans to span from Toledo to Dallas in just one day—a visual that packs a punch without sharing a number.

Everyone can read the figures in a spreadsheet and review a chart. Remember that you’re the person who helps give it meaning.

5. What’s the big picture?

You probably wouldn’t be in your career if you didn’t love deep dives into numbers, but avoid launching into them first thing.

Begin the story later by sharing the big picture. What is the most important piece of information you want them to know? Make sure to highlight it first, then dive into the data and analysis to support what you’re telling them.

This approach helps minimize the chance they’ll feel bogged down by the data while getting them engaged right from the start.

Additional INCPAS Resources

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