Self-doubt alert... sometimes, I think my job is so unusual that I wonder about my transferable skills. So huge thanks to Neil Cutting FCA MBA and the team at AccountingWEB.co.uk for this article - it was really refreshing to view my work through a different lens 🙏 https://lnkd.in/eYw6Ht_E
Sarah Hildyard
1mo
This is so helpful. I work with many CFOs and Finance teams (and a significant number of leaders in other functions too!) who struggle with story-telling and how to turn the spotlight round away from themselves toward their audience to capture their attention. You have outlined some great, simple top tips about how to create a "hook" for your audience to quickly switch them from being consumers of information to being actively connected to it. "Less is more" is also great advice - hard to do but worth the effort if you really want people to engage. Another top tip I learned early on is to ask yourself the question "What do I want people to say, think or do differently once they have heard this?". If you can't answer this question - don't bother presenting yet or having the conversation until you can, as it really focuses you on the outcome or impact you want to achieve for you and your audience. Any thoughts from those of you in the Finance community? Simon Oddie Kate Ringrose Adrian Digby Adrian Mathews Ayanda Mtshali
Gareth John
1mo
It’s one of the biggest changes I’ve seen in 30 years in accountancy; moving from being ‘spreadsheet drivers’ and ‘number crunchers’, to being communicators and storytellers. Some great insight given here Zoe. 🙌 ‘Making the numbers talk’ was always a skill I tried to embed when teaching students how to do ICAEW Case Study and similar styles of exams. A sea of numbers is pretty meaningless to most people, it’s the commentary that matters! Louisa Matheson Christopher Argent David Malthouse Alex Bond Burnett ⚡️ ACC Amy Forrest I thought you might have some thoughts!
Jørn Madslien
1mo
After years of listening to the hostile right-wing press whinging about the BBC’s supposedly inefficient and bureaucratic operations, I was surprised to discover a private sector where deadlines are frequently missed, budgets often exceeded and promises blatantly broken. True, the BBC is far from perfect, but in many cases its ability to deliver quality quickly exceeds the private sector’s capability. In my experience, this is why, or one of the reasons why, former BBC journalists are much sought after.
Anna J McDougall
1mo
FWIW I went from opera singing to software engineering and found LOADS of transferable skills. Trust in yourself ☺️
Jane Wakefield
1mo
I have discovered I have many transferrable skills - ability to turn copy round fast, write engagingly, understand complex ideas quickly, hit deadlines before they are even given, communicate in clear and interesting ways….. I could go on. And like you I wouldn’t have even considered these as skills before I left the BBC
Ryan Dowsett
1mo
Thanks for taking the time to share. A useful reminder that less can sometimes be more. A point that struck me through the article was that the responsibility to be better sat entirely with the presenter. Whilst I mostly agree with this, perhaps we as “presentees” should also take more responsibility. This could be as simple as turning up on time & better prepared (and already having that coffee with us), or in a more complicated manner such as creating a culture where constructive feedback is welcomed and encouraged. The Netflix book “No Rules Rules” speaks about this as one of the reasons they have become succesful, as teams are encouraged to give constructive feedback with the aim of simply helping each other to be the best version of themselves. Lisa Frommhold i’m sure this article will resonate with you.
Great article Neil Cutting FCA MBA. It is equally relevant for investment professionals. Our clients now insist on understanding how their money is invested and we have a duty to ensure they understand. This is a skill in and of itself. Less jargon, more real world examples and plain speak as I like to call it, go a long way. It also takes practice. Reciting the message over and over along with editing and simplifying each time until it is just right, will be appreciated by clients in my experience. Samar Gad Rolle Rochelle
Sejal Hampson
1mo
Really interesting read, having recruited in finance for coming up to 20 years my perception on finance leaders has grown in admiration and understanding It is an art communicating key financial messages more often to non finance stakeholders in a way that translates and gets the ethos of the message over David Shepperd can you imagine how tough our monthly sum ups would be trying to keep to the BBC 55 character limit on headlines?! I think the future of transforming numbers to compelling narratives will be fascinating, never has technology moved on so fast, never will it go this slowly again… Technology will take narratives to new heights Great read Zoe Kleinman , Neil Cutting FCA MBA & AccountingWEB.co.uk
Julian Daly
1mo
Sad isn't it that I'm reading this, but soaking up the numbers and wondering why it doesn't mention the '27 word' limit to keep sentences understandable. Once an accountant, always an accountant - also see https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2014/08/04/sentence-length-why-25-words-is-our-limit/
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1moIt’s all about: insight x influence = impact. If you can’t communicate forget about showing up.