As an accountant presenting financial information to non-accountants, it's important to take the approach that some of the accounting jargon you typically use around your peers may not be as easily received by a non-accountant audience. Show non-accountants that you're more than a "bean counter", that you truly are a strategic partner in the business by tailoring your presentation in an easily digestible format. Present information that is relevant to them in a clear, unambiguous manner. Focus on the key data, the primary driver(s) and what needs to change. During this webinar we'll review what is important to share with non-accountants and who that audience is comprised of, define key terms and acronyms, and share tips on how to adjust your accounting presentation to fit this unique audience.

1. Presenting Accounting
Information to
Non-Accountants

2. We Know Government
Contract Accounting

3. Who we are
Left Brain Professionals is a boutique accounting firm that serves
government contractors. We specialize in accounting system design
& implementation, audit support, training, and cybersecurity
compliance.

4. Our Services
ACCOUNTING
• Accounting
Systems
• Monthly Support
Services
• CFO & Controller
Services
• Software
AUDIT SUPPORT
• DCAA Audit
Support
• DCMA Audit
Support
CYBERSECURITY
• CMMC
Compliance
TRAINING/TOOLS
• GovCon Training
• FCCM Calculator
• Indirect Rate
Calculator
• Proposal
Adequacy
Checklist

5. Our Team
Robert E. Jones
Government Contracts &
Accounting Expert
CPA, CPCM, NCMA Fellow
Melissa Metzger
Government Accounting &
Finance Advisor
MAFM, CPA Candidate
Steven Bressler
Government Contract
Associate
steve@LeftBrainPro.com
melissa@LeftBrainPro.com
robert@LeftBrainPro.com

6. Learning
Objectives
• List the non-accountants and info
they need.
• Define terms and acronyms.
• Explain the data presented, why it’s
important, and impacts affecting the
data.
• Adjust the volume and format of data
to fit the audience.
• Other tips and tricks.

7. Poll
How comfortable are you presenting accounting information to
non-accountants?
A. I avoid it at all costs.
B. Not comfortable at all, but I have to.
C. Fairly comfortable.
D. Very comfortable, no hesitation.

8. Non-Accountants
and Needed
Information

9. Non-Accountants & Needed Info.
Cont…
Tailor the data and presentation.
What are people responsible for and what do
they care about?

10. Non-Accountants & Needed Info., Continued…
Cont…
Owners
Overall Performance
• How well is the business doing?
• How are the parts of the business doing?
Profitability
• Top-level and by division or product.
May understand some of the advanced terms and KPIs, but may not
have time to digest a lot of written information.
Comprehensive dashboard with several KPIs. Give them a snapshot
with backup they can read later.

11. Non-Accountants & Needed Info.,
Continued…
Cont…
Board of Directors
• Performance
• Compliance – are accounting P&P
compliant with GAAP, FAR, CAS, or other
guidelines?
Cont…

12. Non-Accountants & Needed Info., Continued…
Cont…
Managers
• Front line performance – how is my department performing?
• How is my contract or project performing?
• How are the parts of the business doing?
• Dashboard with info and KPIs limited to their operational
scope.
• Actual OH rate to budgeted rate.
• Employee hours and efficiency.
• Product or project profitability.

13. Poll
Owners of a business may not have a lot of time to digest_____.
A. KPIs
B. Dashboards
C. Written information
D. None of the above

14. Non-Accountants & Needed Info.,
Continued…
Cont…
General Staff
• Are we making money?
• Will I have a job?
• Will you cut benefits?
• Will I get a bonus?
• Top-line revenue actual vs budget
• Unit sales vs budget
Cont…

15. Non-Accountants & Needed Info., Continued…
Cont…
Customers
• Community Impact
• Charitable Contributions
• Environmental Goals
• Reducing carbon footprint
Vendors
• Unit sales can signal vendors to speed up or slow down.

16. Non-Accountants & Needed Info.,
Continued…
Select Data to Share
• Share data that is relevant to the person or
group.
• Share data for which that person or group
is responsible.
• Suggest action items or next steps.

17. Poll
Community impact and charitable contributions are
typically shared with?
A. General staff
B. Customers
C. Vendors
D. Managers

18. Explain the Data

19. Explain the Data
Cont…
• Tell a story. Focus on the message, not the data.
• Why are you presenting these particular numbers?
• What do the numbers mean?
• What are the inputs or how do we affect the
results?
• Use charts, sparklines, colors, and other visual
indicators.
• Use less jargon. Explain words, phrases and
acronyms.

20. Explain the Data, Continued…
Presenting the Data.
• Use charts, graphs and diagrams.
• Use words over numbers.
• Use color coding.

21. Explain the Data, Continued…
Cont…

22. Explain the Data, Continued…
Cont…

23. Poll
When explaining data, you should use less _________.
A. Jargon
B. Charts
C. Numbers
D. None of the above

24. Explain the Data, Continued…
Cont…

25. Explain the Data, Continued…
Cont…

26. Explain the Data, Continued…
Cont…

27. Explain the Data, Continued…

28. Poll
When presenting the data, use_________.
A. Charts
B. Graphs
C. Diagrams
D. All the above

29. Other Tips & Tricks

30. Other Tips & Tricks
Cont…
Practice your presentation.
• Practice, practice, practice.
• Practice in front of a mirror.
• Practice with a friend or colleague.
• Test your equipment in advance.
• Perform a dry run.
• Arrive early.
Be comfortable in the spotlight.
• Join toastmasters

31. Other Tips & Tricks, Continued…
Cont…
Less is more.
• Limit information on slides and reports.
• Present summary info over details.
• Focus on the key info.
• Don’t get lost in the weeds.

32. Other Tips & Tricks, Continued…
Cont…
Be prepared for tough questions.
• What is that number? What does it mean?
• Why did it change this month?
• Why should I care about this?
• How long have you known about this?
• Why are you just now telling me?

33. Other Tips & Tricks, Continued…
Timely presentation of data.
• Data must be timely to be meaningful
and actionable.
• Don’t tell a project manager they
overspent their budget three weeks ago.
• Deliver real-time data.
Cont…

34. Poll
Data must be ______ to be meaningful and actionable.
A. Accurate
B. Timely
C. Limited
D. None of the above

35. Other Tips & Tricks, Continued…
Cont…
Be a strategic partner.
• Accountants are accused of always looking back.
• We need to do more than report on history. We need to look
forward. Interpret the data. Offer predictions and guidance.

36. Other Tips & Tricks, Continued…
Make the data available.
• Use online, real-time dashboards.
• Allow drill-down/click-through to the
details.

37. Poll
How confident are you in presenting accounting information
given this presentation?
A. I can’t do it.
B. I’m still a little timid, but can manage.
C. I think I would do okay.
D. I’m pretty confident.

39. Save the Date! July 20-22, 2021
Join us for up to three days of educational sessions and earn up to 20 CPE credits
during our first annual GovCon Accounting Summit, a virtual learning experience for
government contract accounting professionals. Learn from industry leading accountants,
attorneys, and consultants on a variety of government contract accounting topics and see
some of the latest software tools in action during live demonstrations.
Visit www.GovConAcct.com for details.

40. Connect
with us
Download the presentation
Left Brain
Professionals Inc.
@LeftBrainPro
Email us
Support@LeftBrainPro.com
@LeftBrainPro
Left Brain Pro
LeftBrainPro
www.LeftBrainPro.com/presentations

41. For information on our upcoming webinars, visit us at
LeftBrainPro.com/events for more details.