Crafting Impactful Results Updates

Welcome to the first lesson of the “Delivering Results” module. In this lesson, we’ll delve into the art of crafting impactful results updates that capture the attention of executives and stakeholders while driving informed decision-making. This skill is essential for finance professionals at all levels, as your ability to communicate results effectively is a critical component of your role in contributing to organizational success.

During the following video, GrowCFO’s Founder and CEO Dan Wells discusses the importance of finance professionals collaborating impactfully with the wider business and also sets you a personal challenge:

Dos and Don’ts for Crafting Impactful Results Updates

Dos:

1. Clarity and Conciseness: Ensure that your updates are clear, concise, and devoid of jargon. Use simple language to convey complex financial information.
2. Focus on Strategic Objectives: Align your results updates with the organization’s strategic goals. Highlight how your team’s efforts contribute to broader business objectives.
3. Use Visuals Wisely: Incorporate graphs, charts, and visuals to enhance your narrative. Visual representations can make data more digestible and engaging.
4. Highlight Key Insights: Identify and emphasize the most important insights from your results. Focus on trends, anomalies, and areas of impact.
5. Contextualize Data: Provide context to your numbers by explaining the factors that influenced the results. This helps executives understand the bigger picture.

Don’ts:

1. Avoid Information Overload: Don’t overwhelm your audience with excessive data. Select key metrics and information that align with your message.
2. Steer Clear of Technical Jargon: Avoid using technical terms that may be unfamiliar to non-finance stakeholders. Your goal is to communicate, not confuse.
3. Minimize Complexity: Don’t present data without context. Help your audience understand the “why” behind the numbers.
4. Skip the Fluff: Avoid filler content that doesn’t contribute to the overall message. Stick to the essentials to maintain engagement.
5. Don’t Disregard the Audience: Tailor your updates to your audience. What matters to executives might differ from what matters to your team.

Illustrative Example: Driving Cost Savings

Imagine you’re a junior financial analyst responsible for delivering a results update on cost-saving initiatives undertaken by your team. Instead of bombarding executives with a laundry list of data, you focus on key points. You open by stating the objective: “Our efforts to optimize costs have yielded substantial results.” You then present a visual that depicts the reduction in operating expenses over the past quarter.

You avoid excessive data and focus on strategic insights: “Our cross-department collaboration reduced supply chain costs by 15%, leading to significant savings in procurement. Additionally, our streamlined processes decreased operational inefficiencies, resulting in a 12% reduction in administrative costs.”

By presenting your update concisely and aligning it with the company’s strategic goal of cost optimization, you’ve crafted an impactful update that provides valuable insights to executives. This example illustrates how even a junior analyst can contribute to delivering results in a meaningful way.

As you progress through this module, remember that your ability to craft impactful results updates is a skill that transcends roles. Whether you’re an entry-level professional or a seasoned manager, honing this skill will enhance your ability to communicate effectively and drive decision-making at the executive level.