How Business Partners Get To The Point… Fast

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How long is your attention span? Long enough to read this sentence. We bet you it is not very long so let us get to the point. Executives have a very short attention span so if you want their buy-in to a recommendation you must get to the point fast. If you do not one of two things will happen. 

1. Their mind starts wandering towards the next meeting and decision to make
2. They start discussing irrelevant details in your presentation and you never get to make your recommendation. 

Luckily, it does not have to be like that, and we will show you why and how to do it differently.

Many finance professionals struggle to get their message across. They bring too many (irrelevant) details, use no consistent structure in their argumentation, and have no apparent recommendation. To fix this and be sure you get to deliver your recommendation there is a simple structure you can follow. It is called the pyramid principle and is created by Barbara Minto. 

Following the pyramid principle, you start with the answer (WHAT) first. Then it helps you to group and summarize your supporting arguments (WHY) into a pyramid that underlines the answer. Lastly, it gives a call to action (HOW) of how to execute the recommendation. 

This week we explore how business partners can be assertive in their communication by unfolding a framework for communicating with executives. You are at the finish line in your influencing efforts and by getting to the point fast you will bring it home!

The pyramid principle unfolded

Let us unfold the pyramid principle further. You can see the overview below.

It starts with introducing the challenge we are facing by stating the Situation, the Complication(s), and the key Question(s) you are trying to answer. After this, you go straight to your recommendation. 

• Situation: The widely accepted facts describing the situation at hand
• Complication(s): The issue(s) that makes it unsustainable to continue without action
• Question(s): The question(s) that must be answered to resolve the complication
• Answer(s): Your recommendation for action 

Imagine this: slide 1, agenda; slide 2, SCQ; slide 3, recommendation. That is all you need. How often have you delivered an executive presentation in just three slides? At this point, you have delivered your recommendation in the first five-seven minutes. You might just receive a straight-up YES or perhaps there will be follow-up questions. This will lead you to present your two-four reasons why your recommendation is a good idea. If you are challenged on any of these reasons you present your supporting facts. 

You should not leave out the details of your analysis but keep them as supporting statements rather than leading with them. This is also why the pyramid principle is sometimes referred to as top-down presenting. In this way, you get to deliver your recommendation while you still have the attention of senior executives and significantly increase the chances of getting a YES. 

Fixing the unreliable financials

Let us exemplify the principle with a short story of how Anders used the SCQA structure to tackle a hot topic of unreliable financials inside Finance. 

Situation 

In Anders latest business partner role, he was a user of the monthly financials to present and discuss with his business stakeholders. In principle, he was not involved in the production of the numbers. 

Complication 

In most months there were corrections to numbers in prior periods and often there were also after-the-fact adjustments to the first reported numbers in the current month. It did not make it easier that most of the issues were related to the allocation of financials to products whereas the consolidated numbers were mostly correct. 

These issues led to Anders often presenting wrong numbers hurting his (and other business partners’) credibility. 

Resolution 

Anders used the SCQA structure to formulate a proposal to the VP ultimately responsible for the numbers involving the key stakeholders that were responsible for the allocations. As supporting facts, he used specific examples of some of the issues that had occurred. 

Naturally, this was a difficult conversation because the ones responsible for the numbers could easily see this as an attack on them. Same time Anders could easily be accused of not doing controlling himself. 

Impact 

Using the SCQA structure however allowed for a factful discussion and left room for all stakeholders to share their views on each element i.e. S, C, Q, and A. We aligned on a plan to move forward to improve the quality and regained credibility with key business stakeholders. 

Be aware of these pitfalls

Using this framework for communication is fairly straightforward, however, there are some pitfalls that you must be aware of when using it. 

• Strip all emotions from the situation to ensure you only include facts that other parties can agree to. Often you have a heavy interest in a specific resolution of a situation like Anders had in the example above. Often did he get frustrated with the situation and he had a hard time stripping the emotions from his response.
• Be sure to align with key stakeholders before making your presentation. If there is not enough alignment on the SCQ before you present, you risk that the discussion among executives starts right away. Then you do not make it past slide 2 in your presentation and might fail to deliver the recommendation.
• Include alternative recommendations in your presentation and explain why you have selected one recommendation over the other. It is possible that you learn that a combination of recommendations will work even better. It could also be that the executives reject your main recommendation but want to choose your alternative.
• Be sure to rehearse your presentation as any uncertainty in the delivery of the presentation might lead executives to think you are not confident in your recommendation. 

Generally, it is not your ability to write or make compelling PowerPoint slides that determine your success rate of getting a YES. No, it is the structure in your argumentation that logically leads executives through to the recommendation and getting them to agree. Too many times have business partners seen their insights and recommendations fall flat because they were presented in an unfit manner. Do not let that happen to you!

You have the best insights, solid relationships with business stakeholders and an in-depth understanding of the business. Now it is time that you bring it home by adding a logical structure to how you present your insights and recommendations. You can start using the SCQA structure today and it is just as valid for writing e-mails as it is for important executive presentations. A logical structure in your argumentation is key to impacting business decisions and the final element in our 3 X I model. What else do you need to be a successful business partner? 

Business Partnering Institute can help you become better at influencing your business stakeholder’s decisions by teaching you how to communicate to executives and get a YES to your recommendation. In that way, you can best help them meet or beat their targets! You can reach us today at [email protected] or get directly in touch with Anders on +45 2926 6410.

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This was the thirteenth article in the series "Business Partnering On A Formula". You can read past articles in the series below.

This Is How We Succeed With Business Partnering

Business Partnering On A Formula

This Is How Business Partners Have Impact And Drive Value Creation

Here's Why You Want A Business Partner At The Table

Decision ≠ Action - But What Can Finance Do About It?

How Do Business Partners Generate Insights?

A Business Partner Is Like A Mechanic, Always Looking To Optimize The Engine Room

Performance Management Done Right Is A Gold Mine Of Insight

Here Is How Finance Can Grow The Business

If Only It Was Enough For Finance To Be Right

Successful Business Partners Do Not Hang Around In The Finance Department

If you want to become a better business partner you should consider taking our online course "Business Partnering Explained - Value Creation Unlocked" to get a better handle on the role. It's accredited for 5.5 CPD hours.

You can read a lot more articles about FP&A, Business Partnering, and Finance Transformation below. It all start's with “Introducing The Finance Transformation Nine Box” where you set the ambition for your transformation. You should join the Finance Business Partner Forum which is part of the Business Partnering Institute's online community where we will continue to discuss this topic and you can click here to follow me on Twitter.

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How To Create Value Through Business Partnering

Everyone Can Adopt A Business Partnering Mindset (part of a six-article series about FP&A Business Partnering)

From Business Partner To Working Within The Business (part of an article series where I interview finance professionals about their careers in FP&A and Business Partnering)

Is Your Product Optimized For Value Creation? (part of a toolbox series where we look at what tools FP&A professionals should leverage to drive value creation)

How Business Partners Turn Analysis To Insight (part of case study series where I interview business partners about how they drive value creation using real cases)

The Future Of FP&A: Two Ways To Take The Reins

What Is The Accounting Profession Paradox?

What Defines A Finance Master?

The New Career Path For Finance Professionals

How Finance People Can Be More Successful

The CFOs Roadmap To Transforming Finance

How To Become A Finance Business Partner

Financial Analyst vs. Finance Business Partner

Finance Business Partner Is A Bullshit Job

How Business Partners Keep A Plan On Track

Anders Liu-Lindberg is the co-founder, COO (Chief Operating Officer), and CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) at the Business Partnering Institute and owner of the largest group dedicated to Finance Business Partnering on LinkedIn with more than 8,500 members. I have ten years of experience as a business partner at the global transport and logistics company Maersk. I am the co-author of the book “Create Value as a Finance Business Partner” and a long-time Finance Blogger on LinkedIn with 45.000+ followers.