Professionals often make three big mistakes when presenting financial or operational data to executives. The first mistake is including spreadsheets on slides instead of using effective visuals. Spreadsheets are for calculations, not communication. The second mistake is not having clear messages in the presentation. Presentations should be well-structured to take executives from the current situation to the desired outcome. The third mistake is thinking executives love numbers as much as the presenters. Presentations should focus on insights executives can use, not just data. To avoid these mistakes, presenters should use visuals instead of spreadsheets, structure presentations clearly around a main message, and focus on insights rather than numbers alone.

1. Big Mistakes
professionals make
when presenting
financial or operational
data to executives

2. My name is Dave Paradi of
ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com, and
over the last 14 years of working
with presenters, I see
professionals make three big
mistakes when they present
numbers to executives.
Let’s start with Mistake #3.

3. Mistake #3
Love of Numbers
235%
235%
235%

4. Professionals make a mistake when they
think that the executives love numbers as
much as they do and, therefore, the
executives must want to see all the numbers.
While an executive might have risen from a
financial role into their current role, they no
longer have time to figure out all the
numbers.

5. It is a mistake to put every
calculation on the slide and
hope they figure out the
important numbers out of the
600 numbers in the
spreadsheet
Network
Costs
Costs

6. It is a mistake to put the
whole financial statement on
the slide and expect the
executives to follow along
while you use a laser pointer
to point out a few key figures

7. ABC Business Unit Sales Projections
all figures in thousands
Q1 2013 Q2 2013 Q3 2013 Q4 2013 2013 Total Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2014 2014 Total $ diff % diff
Product A 151 582 313 304 1350 376 387 427 533 1723 373 27.6%
Product B 151 221 252 213 837 278 148 421 363 1210 373 44.6%
Product C 460 388 279 229 1356 177 399 502 498 1576 220 16.2%
Product D 132 214 423 481 1250 450 582 199 179 1410 160 12.8%
Product E 260 183 567 126 1136 470 493 360 190 1513 377 33.2%
Total 1154 1588 1834 1353 5929 1751 2009 1909 1763 7432 1503 25.3%
It is a mistake to put the
last eight quarters of data
on a slide when all they
really need to know is the
difference between the
years

8. When the
executives are
confused, they won’t
make decisions
Overwhelming the
executives with
numbers leaves
them confused
Delayed
decisions cost
your
organization

9. How can you fix this mistake?
Focus on the insights, not the data or
information.

10. Data is anything we measure.
And we measure more today
than ever before. But data is
only a number. It doesn’t have
meaning on its own.

11. Measured
value
Desired
value
We turn it into information by comparing it to some
desired standard. Like our goal, industry average,
competitor’s market share, or last year’s number.
Now we know if it is above or below the desired level.

12. If we stop at information, and many
presenters stop here, we are short changing
the executives and not giving them what they
really want.
They want the insights.

13. The insight is what the
results of the analysis
mean in the context of
your business. What
does your analysis
mean for these
executives? How will it
help them make a
better decision? That’s
what they need to
hear from you.
Insight!

14. Here is an example of moving from data to
information to insight
62
transactions
last month
This is
just data
62 > goal of 60
We are above our
goal! Hooray!
Now we have
information, but it still
isn’t what the
executives need.
What the executives
need is the insight

15. Number of transactions continues to drop
each month; will not meet goal next month
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July
Transactions per
month (est. for July)
Goal of 60 per month
Goal not
met in July!

16. Number of transactions continues to drop
each month; will not meet goal next month
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July
Transactions per
month (est. for July)
Goal of 60 per month
Goal not
met in July!With this insight, the executives
know that urgent action needs to
be taken. With just data or
information, this would have been
missed.

17. To fix the mistake of Love of Numbers, focus
on the insights the executives need to know.
What do the numbers mean to your
business? After all, that is what they are
paying you to determine from your analysis.

18. Mistake #2
No Clear Messages

19. Professionals make a mistake when they
think that the executives will be able to follow
a presentation that has no clear path or
conclusion.
Don’t expect the executives to put together
your randomly assembled facts into a
coherent message. They won’t do it.

20. When you start creating
your presentation by
copying and pasting
slides from a previous
presentation, it will be
difficult to assemble the
slides into a coherent
message.

21. Agenda
• Topic 1
• Topic 2
• Topic 3
• Topic 4
• Topic 5
Arranging your
presentation as a list of
the topics you analyzed
won’t help the executives.

22. Agenda
• Product Income
• Services Income
• Fixed Expenses
• Variable Expenses
• One-time expenses
Arranging your
presentation by the
sections of the financial
statement isn’t any better.
They still don’t know why
they should spend
valuable time listening to
you.

23. So they ask you to
go back and do
more analysis (in
the hope that next
time they will get
something useful)
The executives
don’t know what to
do with all the
information
The executives
get frustrated.
Which doesn’t
help your career
potential.

24. How can you fix this mistake?
Create a clear plan to take the executives
from where they are to where you want them
to be at the end of the presentation. Your
presentation needs to be well structured.

25. Start with the goal of
your presentation by
completing this
sentence: At the end
of the presentation,
the executives will
_____. What will they
do, agree on, approve,
etc. Be clear on what
the outcome of your
work on this
presentation will be.

26. At the end of
the
presentation,
the
executives
will …
Where are
they now?
Key steps along the
journey with points &
supporting information
Map out your presentation like a GPS unit would for
a trip. Figure out the topics, points, and supporting
information you need to present in order to reach
your presentation goal. Numbers are only the
underlying measurement of a story happening in your
business. The executives want to hear that story.
Read more about the GPS approach.

27. Make sure each slide
makes only one clear
point. Write a headline for
each slide that
summarizes the point you
want the executives to
understand from that slide.
Yes, this means your slide
headlines will be 6-10
words long. Headlines
make it easier for you to
present because you
know the point you need
to make, then you can
move on to the next slide.
Remember this example
from before. Even without
the visual, the executives
would know what the
message was.

28. To fix the mistake of No Clear Messages,
plan the content of your presentation before
you ever create a single slide. Don’t just copy
and paste slides from another presentation.
Define the goal of the presentation. Decide
on the topics, points, and supporting
information you will need. Write a headline for
each slide that summarizes the message.
A well structured presentation is easier for
you to present and easier for the executives
to act on.

29. Mistake #1
Spreadsheets on Slides
November November YTD
USD Million
@ B09 rate
2008
Actual
2009
Budget
2009
Base
case
2009
Actual
2009 vs.
2008
2009 vs.
Budget
2009 vs.
Base
case
2008
Actual
2009
Budget
2009
Base
case
2009
Actual
2009 vs.
2008
2009 vs.
Budget
2009 vs.
Base
case
a US COMMERCIAL 2.2 3.0 3.9 4.3 2.2 1.4 0.5 58.2 66.3 56.6 53.5 (4.7) (12.8) (3.1)
EBITDA as % of Revenues 6.3% 9.3% 13.2% 14.2% 12.9% 16.4% 15.7% 14.8%
a US GOVERNMENT 2.7 0.9 1.3 2.4 (0.3) 1.5 1.1 41.2 23.9 24.2 33.3 (7.9) 9.4 9.2
EBITDA as % of Revenues 24.6% 9.8% 13.8% 23.1% 30.4% 19.5% 20.1% 25.7%
a CANADA 0.9 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.2 (0.1) (0.0) 9.4 9.8 9.9 8.8 (1) (1.0) (1.2)
EBITDA as % of Revenues 18.0% 24.2% 25.6% 23.6% 17.0% 19.6% 20.9% 18.7%
a GLOBAL MATRIX 0.0 0.1 - 0.0 (0.0) (0.1) 0.0 0 0 - 0 0.2 0.4 0.5
EBITDA as % of Revenues 23.9% 34.6% 1.5% 12.6% 6.9% 26.3%
NORTH AMERICA 5.8 5.1 6.3 7.8 2.0 2.8 1.6 109.0 100.2 90.7 96.1 (12.9) (4.1) 5.4
EBITDA as % of Revenues 11.5% 11.0% 14.6% 17.1% 16.9% 17.3% 17.2% 17.8%

30. Professionals make a mistake when they use
a spreadsheet on a slide instead of an
effective visual.
Spreadsheets are for calculation, not
communication.

31. November November YTD
USD Million
@ B09 rate
2008
Actual
2009
Budget
2009
Base
case
2009
Actual
2009 vs.
2008
2009 vs.
Budget
2009 vs.
Base
case
2008
Actual
2009
Budget
2009
Base
case
2009
Actual
2009 vs.
2008
2009 vs.
Budget
2009 vs.
Base
case
a US COMMERCIAL 2.2 3.0 3.9 4.3 2.2 1.4 0.5 58.2 66.3 56.6 53.5 (4.7) (12.8) (3.1)
EBITDA as % of Revenues 6.3% 9.3% 13.2% 14.2% 12.9% 16.4% 15.7% 14.8%
a US GOVERNMENT 2.7 0.9 1.3 2.4 (0.3) 1.5 1.1 41.2 23.9 24.2 33.3 (7.9) 9.4 9.2
EBITDA as % of Revenues 24.6% 9.8% 13.8% 23.1% 30.4% 19.5% 20.1% 25.7%
a CANADA 0.9 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.2 (0.1) (0.0) 9.4 9.8 9.9 8.8 (1) (1.0) (1.2)
EBITDA as % of Revenues 18.0% 24.2% 25.6% 23.6% 17.0% 19.6% 20.9% 18.7%
a GLOBAL MATRIX 0.0 0.1 - 0.0 (0.0) (0.1) 0.0 0 0 - 0 0.2 0.4 0.5
EBITDA as % of Revenues 23.9% 34.6% 1.5% 12.6% 6.9% 26.3%
NORTH AMERICA 5.8 5.1 6.3 7.8 2.0 2.8 1.6 109.0 100.2 90.7 96.1 (12.9) (4.1) 5.4
EBITDA as % of Revenues 11.5% 11.0% 14.6% 17.1% 16.9% 17.3% 17.2% 17.8%
When you put the whole spreadsheet on the slide,
you hope the executives figure it out. What if they
can’t? Or they try, but come to a different conclusion
than the one you wanted them to come to? That’s
risky. For your presentation. And your career.

32. Why do so many professionals use
spreadsheets instead of effective visuals?
They tell me two reasons above all others:
1) They were never taught how to translate
numbers into visuals in school, grad
school, or their professional designation
2) They think they need to be a graphic artist
to create the visuals they see in print
publications

33. I believe almost any professional can create
effective visuals instead of using
spreadsheets. I am proof. I have a Chemical
Engineering undergrad degree and an MBA.
No design background or experience. I’ve
spent 14 years figuring out how to create
effective visuals when you don’t have a
background in graphics. Here’s what I have
discovered.

34. You need a process. Here is the one I use.
Message
Visual
Category
Select
Visual
Create
Visual

35. You need a process. Here is the one I use.
Message
Visual
Category
Select
Visual
Create
Visual
Start with the
message of the
slide. Remember
the headline your
wrote? That’s
where you start.

36. You need a process. Here is the one I use.
Message
Visual
Category
Select
Visual
Create
Visual
Start with the
message of the
slide. Remember
the headline your
wrote? That’s
where you start.
Determine which
category the
message falls
into. I use six
categories to
organize visuals.

37. You need a process. Here is the one I use.
Message
Visual
Category
Select
Visual
Create
Visual
Start with the
message of the
slide. Remember
the headline your
wrote? That’s
where you start.
Determine which
category the
message falls
into. I use six
categories to
organize visuals.
Select the visual
from the ones in
that category.

38. You need a process. Here is the one I use.
Message
Visual
Category
Select
Visual
Create
Visual
Start with the
message of the
slide. Remember
the headline your
wrote? That’s
where you start.
Determine which
category the
message falls
into. I use six
categories to
organize visuals.
Select the visual
from the ones in
that category.
Create the visual
using the tools in
PowerPoint.

39. When I share this process, many
professionals say there are two roadblocks to
them using the process:
1) They don’t have a categorized library of
effective visuals to choose from
2) They don’t have the skills in PowerPoint to
create effective visuals
Let me address these two issues.

40. Numbers Sequence Time Entities Object Example6 categories
30 groups &
sub-groups
66 visuals
Comparing
numbers/
value/size
Relationship
of sequence
Relationship
over time
Relationship
between
entities
A person,
place, or
object
An example or
demonstration
In my book Select Effective Visuals, I
organize 66 visuals business presenters
should use into six categories, then break
those down into 30 groups and sub-groups

41. Once you have selected a visual,
how do you learn the skills to
create it? I have over 30
PowerPoint video tutorials on my
website at
ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com that
will get you started. I’ve also
published my Implementation
Guides that give step-by-step
instructions with screen shots
(this is the handout my
customized workshop
participants get).

42. To fix the mistake of Spreadsheets on Slides,
use a process to identify an effective visual
for your message and create that visual in
PowerPoint. You don’t need a graphics
background, you can learn the skills you
need.

43. Let’s recap the 3 mistakes & how you can fix them.
Mistake
Love of Numbers
No Clear Messages
Spreadsheets on Slides
How you can fix the mistake
Focus on the insights the executives
need to know, not just the data or
information.
Plan the content of your presentation
with topics, points, and supporting
information. Write a headline for each
slide.
Use a process to identify an effective
visual for your message and create
that visual in PowerPoint.

44. If you would like me to help
your team create presentations
that have a clear message with
focused content and effective
visuals, get in touch:
P: 905-510-4911
E: Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com
W: www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com