Given the more strategic role that Finance Directors now have to fulfil, they must be better communicators than ever before.
This includes presenting information to internal and external stakeholders.
Professionals who are not able to communicate financial strategies clearly and dynamically risk losing out on the most prized roles. This has the potential to stall what could otherwise be a successful career in its tracks. Taking a closer look at why presentation skills are so vital for modern Finance Directors shows just how much risk there is for professionals who do not develop these skills sufficiently.
Strategic Finance Director roles make presentation skills more important than ever
In the past, Finance Directors were mostly focussed on providing numbers detailing the financial position of the business. Over recent years, the situation has changed. Finance Directors now have a more strategic role to play in organisations.
They play the role of business partner and provide insights which drive the ongoing strategy of the business. This involves mining data and analysing trends in order to determine their effect on various areas of the organisation. Providing this service necessitates clear communication with each different area including the ability to deliver confident and carefully curated presentations.
The shift towards the increasing importance of soft skills such as presenting, means that they are now an integral part of any finance director recruitment process.
Soft skills now a vital part of the recruitment process
Businesses recruiting into senior finance roles are now looking for candidates who can display top performance in a range of soft skills including adaptability, commercial knowledge, and communication as well as presentation abilities.
Truth be told, organisations are paying almost as much attention to these skills as they are to technical ability. In many cases, being able to display confidence in presenting and communicating could be the deciding factor in a recruitment decision. So, Finance Directors can no longer afford to be technical specialists who are able to hide away from the limelight.
Top candidates must be prepared to be at the forefront of driving the business forward including presenting vital information in a way that provides useful and current data backed insights to all areas of the organisation.
As the role of the finance function continues to be integral to the strategy and success of organisations, engaging with various areas of the business has become more important than ever. Creating and completing valuable presentations is essential to this. Doing so enables Finance Directors to make compelling points at board level and throughout the business.
In order to make these points, top professionals know the value of developing the ability to communicate technical information in a way that makes sense to non-finance stakeholders. Having this ability promotes trust in them and the information they are presenting. This in turn allows them to influence the business and its strategic direction in a way that promotes development and success.
