Communicating Financials to Executives

Chapter NineConsiderations on Data Visualizations

When dealing with finance professionals as part of learning and development programs, Christian likes to compare the client’s CFO to Indiana Jones – the iconic fictional character (Dykes, 2020). This usually sparks a heated debate about similarities and differences as the audience tries to identify the logic behind the comparison. Christian then continues to argue that all business-oriented finance professionals bear a resemblance to Indiana Jones. The reasoning is as follows.

Imagine yourself as the Indiana Jones of the business world. Just like the iconic archeologist, you embark on journeys to uncover hidden treasures buried deep within vast landscapes – except instead of ancient artifacts you search for actionable insights hidden within data. As an explorer you navigate through the labyrinth of financial figures, trends and patterns, armed with the latest tools and methodologies. However, your mission does not end with discovery. Like Indiana Jones you are also a professor, translating your findings for an audience eager to understand their significance.

The task is twofold: first, dig into the data and uncover the ‘relics’ – the key insights that will drive decision-making. Second, these findings must be clearly and convincingly communicated to an executive audience that may not speak the language of finance (Figure 9.1). It is not enough to find valuable insights; they must be presented in a way that resonates with executives ...