Presenters make a few common mistakes when using financial data in PowerPoint. These mistakes are commonplace and result from various time constraints and sometimes neglect. Many people who are reading this will surely recognize these as well. Improving these aspects of the presentation can help distinguish you from the rest. Here are some common mistakes made when presenting financial data.
Not Everyone Likes Numbers
Professionals who spend a lot of time with numbers, often make the mistake of thinking that other people want to see those numbers as well. The executives in charge of making decisions may have been in similar financial roles a few years ago, but they may simply be too burdened with other responsibilities to make sense of these numbers. That is why, they ask others to do this for them. That is where you can help them by simplifying things and making matters easier to understand.
Don’t Put All of Your Calculations in There
Some people try to put all their calculations in the presentation. You can’t expect them to find the useful information if you show them all the calculations you’ve made. They only need to see your analysis and insight into the matter.
Don’t Paste Whole Financial Statements in the Presentation
Don’t put a balance sheet or some other financial statement on a slide. If you must show the financial statement, then use callouts (text bubbles) to make the important text easier to read.
They Expect to See Only Relevant Data
A general rule is to omit numbers that don’t help in the decision. They don’t need to see everything in context when they are trusting you with the decision. Don’t show them sales data from 8 previous quarters when all the need to know is the comparison between this and the previous year’s performance.
Using too much financial data leaves executives confused, but they don’t admit it. Many people don’t want to admit that they don’t understand something. This causes them to make delayed decisions, and it costs the organization valuable time. It also makes you look less reliable. The solution is to keep their focus on the analysis. Click here to learn about how to draw better insights for your presentation.
Image: [CC BY 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons
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