Public Speaking and Presenting in Finance

You’ll learn the basics of activities within speaking and presenting, including the importance of your call to action, of having an overarching structure or narrative, and of good delivery;

You’ll learn about the basics of presenting and speaking in finance in specific, including simplifying numbers, suggesting actions, and showing internal processes and assumptions – and how these result in very specific situations for very specific roles;

You’ll learn about the usual structures in presentations, including a linear one (logical sequencing of events), a problem-solving one (linear, but based on the contrast between a problem/need and a solution), and a modular one (where the parts are not necessarily sequenced, but each stand on their own);

You’ll learn about the usual elements in presentations and speeches, including the introduction and overview/executive summary, a list or table contents and the detail view of the included topics, the inclusion of numbers or data (usually associated with visual aids), and the conclusion or call to action, as well as the purpose of each;

You’ll learn about the various types of visual aids, including slideshows (used in most presentations), graphs and charts (that show the distribution of numbers over certain categories, or over time), infographics (summarising a set of key insights or key numbers in one place), dashboards and tables (providing “snapshots” of more complex numbers, with the option of going deeper on them) and flowcharts (illustrating decision-making, especially when there are conditional branches);

You’ll learn about simplifying various types of complex numbers within finance, including ratios (divisions of a certain factor by another one), compounding (accumulation of interest on the principal + previous interest), return/cost structures (divisions or subtractions of some sort of revenue/earning by some sort of cost/expense), structure financial products (products whose value is based on the value of another asset, or a change in value of that asset), projections of various sorts (showing the assumptions and the full process), and valuation methods (clarifying assumptions and showing the internal calculations);

You’ll learn about the specific formats that presentations and speeches can take, and the nuances of each including elevator pitches (cutting to the point), meetings (following an agenda), virtual presentations (focusing on engagement), fireside chats and panels (looking good with relevant sound bites), public speaking (putting on a show), impromptu speeches (“surviving” and looking good while unprepared), selling (matching a need to a solution) and investor pitches (showing competence and diligence in results and internal processes);

You’ll learn about the specific targets you may need to speak to or persuade, including executives (strategic, large-scale focus), investors (returns with a proven process), non-finance personnel (simplifying financial topics), employees and co-workers (showing what the company gains and what they gain), regulators (being transparent), shareholders (showing competence in governance and potential), the media (saying newsworthy sound bites), and the general public (repeating a simplified core message/one-liner);

You’ll learn about pitching specific offerings, including debt products (convenience and flexibility), equity products (earnings and appreciation), securities in the stock market (growth and revenue), technology and platforms (ease of use and accuracy), ESG investments (impact and returns), investment funds (competence and professionalism), corporate services (competence and tailoring), and insurance (peace of mind);

You’ll learn about some general best practices when speaking and presenting, including rehearsing relentlessly, “activating” yourself, preempting questions, and executing the process regardless of what happens;

You’ll learn about the 9 key pillars of presence and charisma, divided in three major groups: Verbal (intellectual honest, rigidity and authenticity), Nonverbal (appearance, harmony and tension) and Behavioral (uniqueness, grace under fire and initiative), as well as how to cultivate them;

You’ll learn about four relevant persuasion techniques to aid with presentations and speeches, including the recency/primacy effect (starting and ending with a powerful statement or point), using the potential (illustrating positive potential scenarios), embedding structure (dividing presentations into X key parts) and summarising (providing the key points or takeaways of a presentation to reduce mental effort for the audience);

You’ll learn about some storytelling techniques, including how to structure stories, where to embed product/service benefits or calls to action within a story, how to create narratives from data, and how to make stories more appealing, among others;

You’ll learn about some practices to handle questions and objections, including that not all questions must be answered, what to do in case a question asks you to repeat information already in the presentation, and how to give sensible answers;