What are the best practices for presenting your budget to senior management?

1 Know your audience

Before you start working on your budget presentation, you need to understand who your audience is and what they expect from you. Are they familiar with the details of your budget process and assumptions? Do they have specific questions or concerns that you need to address? How much time do they have to listen to your presentation? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your content, format, and style to suit their needs and preferences.

2 Structure your presentation

A good budget presentation should have a clear and logical structure that guides your audience through your main points and supports your conclusions. Beginning with an introduction that provides some background information and states objectives, you should then move onto an analysis of how you developed the budget, what methods and data sources were used, and what challenges and risks were faced. Highlight the main drivers, variances, and trends of your budget and compare them to previous years or benchmarks. Following this, present your proposed actions and solutions to address the issues and opportunities identified in your analysis. Explain how they will impact your budget and the organization's goals and strategy. Conclude by recapping your main findings and recommendations, emphasizing the benefits and value of your budget, and inviting feedback and questions from your audience.

3 Use visual aids

Visual aids can make your budget presentation more engaging, informative, and persuasive. They can help you illustrate complex data, show comparisons and relationships, and emphasize key messages. However, it is important to use them wisely and sparingly to avoid clutter, confusion, and distraction. When selecting visual aids, choose the right type for your purpose and data - such as tables for precise numbers, charts for trends and patterns, and diagrams for processes and flows. Additionally, keep your visual aids simple, clear, and consistent with labels, titles, and legends to explain them. Finally, align your visual aids with your verbal narration to ensure they support and complement what you say without repeating or contradicting it. Refer to your visual aids when presenting them and explain their meaning and relevance.

4 Practice and prepare

The final step to delivering a successful budget presentation is to practice and prepare yourself for the actual event. Practicing will help improve your delivery, timing, and confidence, as well as identify any errors or gaps in your content or visual aids. Preparing will help you anticipate and overcome any potential challenges or difficulties that may arise during your presentation. To practice and prepare, rehearse your presentation several times in front of someone who can give you constructive feedback. Record yourself and watch your performance, paying attention to your voice, body language, and eye contact. Additionally, check your equipment and materials before the presentation to ensure they are working properly and compatible with the venue's facilities. Have a backup plan in case of technical issues or emergencies. When you arrive early, familiarize yourself with the room and the audience. Set up your equipment and materials, test the sound and lighting, adjust the seating arrangement if needed, greet your audience, and establish rapport before starting your presentation.