How to Make Interesting Finance Presentations [Guide to Engaging Decks]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Jul 23, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 27
While we were building a finance presentation for our client Oliver, he asked us a question that made us pause for a second.
He said:
“How do you make a finance presentation not feel like a punishment?”
Our Creative Director, without missing a beat, replied:
“By not making it look or sound like an accounting textbook.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many finance presentations throughout the year. And here’s something we’ve noticed consistently: most of them try too hard to impress with data, and forget the actual point is to communicate.
In this blog, we’ll explore why finance presentations often get a bad reputation, how to write and design interesting financial decks, how to deliver them effectively, and what to do when you need to revamp an existing deck.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
Why Finance Presentations Have a Reputation
Let’s be real. Most people don’t go into a finance presentation thinking, “This is going to be fun.” They expect to sit through a dense jungle of numbers, charts, and acronyms that feel more like
punishment than insight. And that’s the first problem. You’re working against low expectations from the start.
But there’s more to it.
First, finance slides are overloaded by default.
Whether it’s a budget breakdown, a revenue forecast, or a profitability analysis, the default instinct is to throw every number into the deck like it’s a spreadsheet costume party. This overwhelms your audience and drowns your core message in noise.
Second, the audience is usually diverse, and that complicates things.
You might have a CFO who wants precision and ratios, a CEO looking for growth signals, and department heads wondering how the numbers impact their budgets. One deck, multiple brains interpreting it differently. So you’re not just presenting information. You’re translating it.
Third, storytelling often takes a backseat.
Most finance decks are built as documentation, not communication. They report. They don’t explain. And they definitely don’t engage. Without a clear narrative, even good data feels disconnected and irrelevant.
Fourth, there’s fear involved.
People are afraid to simplify financial data because they think it will look like they’re dumbing it down. But clarity isn’t dumbing down. It’s intelligence that respects your audience’s time.
And finally, finance presentations have real consequences.
You’re not just showing progress. You’re defending strategy, asking for funding, justifying costs, or pitching for future growth. The stakes are high, and the margin for misinterpretation is slim.
We’ll tackle these problems in three steps: how you write the financial deck, how you design it, and how you deliver it (because delivery is just as critical as the content).
How to Write Your Financial Deck with a Narrative That Brings Excitement
Most financial presentations are boring. Not because the numbers are boring, but because the person presenting them thinks numbers speak for themselves. They don’t. Numbers never speak for themselves. They’re mute. It’s your job to give them a voice, and that voice is the narrative.
Think about the last time you sat through a deck filled with revenue graphs, margin charts, and cost breakdowns. Did you remember the numbers afterward? Probably not. What you remembered (if anything) was the way those numbers were framed. “We doubled revenue by entering a new market.” “We’re bleeding cash because operations are inefficient.” “Our churn rate dropped after we invested in customer success.” Each one is a narrative that sticks because it connects data to meaning.
That’s the whole game: meaning. Without it, your audience tunes out, no matter how accurate or detailed your data is. With it, they lean in, because they see how the numbers impact them, the business, or the future.
So how do you actually write your financial presentation in a way that brings excitement? Here’s how we’ve learned to do it after designing hundreds of these decks.
1. Start with the story, not the spreadsheet.
When you sit down to build your presentation, resist the urge to open Excel first. Instead, ask yourself: what’s the story I’m telling? Maybe it’s “We turned the business around after a tough year.” Maybe it’s “We’re growing fast but need investment to sustain it.”
Maybe it’s “The market is shifting and we’re positioning ourselves ahead of competitors.” That’s the backbone of your narrative. The numbers will support it, but the story leads.
2. Use conflict to your advantage.
Stories without tension are flat. In finance, tension comes from challenges: rising costs, slow revenue, shrinking margins, aggressive competitors. Don’t hide these. Put them in the open. When you frame them as obstacles, you create drama. And drama isn’t bad, it’s what makes people care. If everything looks perfect, your audience won’t believe you anyway.
3. Frame numbers as progress, not data points.
Anyone can say “revenue grew 12 percent.” Few can make that growth feel exciting. The difference is context. Revenue grew 12 percent because you tapped into a new customer base. Margins improved because you renegotiated supplier contracts. Costs spiked because you invested in tech that will save millions down the line. Numbers are milestones in a journey. Your job is to make the journey visible.
4. Keep the audience in the story.
This isn’t about you showing how clever you are with financial models. It’s about the people listening. Investors want to know if you’ll make them money. Executives want to know if the business is stable.
Employees want to know if they’ll still have jobs. Every number should be tied back to what matters to them. Otherwise, it’s just noise.
5. Build momentum as you go.
A financial presentation is like a roller coaster. If you start with the biggest number (say, record revenue) and then backtrack to explain costs and losses, you’ve killed the momentum. Instead, structure it like a rising curve: set the stage, reveal the challenge, walk through the numbers, then land on the resolution. The payoff comes at the end.
For example,
We once worked with a founder to create a Series B pitch deck for investors. His draft was filled with spreadsheets and detailed cost breakdowns. Everything was accurate, but it read like a financial audit, not a pitch.
If he had presented it that way, the investors would have walked out thinking, “Solid accounting, but where’s the vision?”
We reframed the story. Instead of “Here’s our burn rate and expenses,” it became, “Here’s the problem we set out to solve, here’s how our investments are fueling growth, and here are the numbers that prove it’s working.”
FAQ: Which storytelling technique would you recommend for finance decks?
We usually recommend the problem-solution- benefit narrative framework. We start by showing the challenge (whether it’s market shifts, rising costs, or operational inefficiencies) then explain how the strategy addresses it, and finally back it up with numbers that prove progress. We also like to include small moments of tension or milestones to make the data feel like part of a journey. This keeps the audience engaged and helps them see the impact behind every figure.
How to Design an Interesting Finance Presentation
Design isn’t just about looking pretty. In finance presentations, it’s about making numbers clear and keeping your audience focused. Here’s how we do it:
1. Simplify every slide.
One idea per slide. For example, instead of a slide with revenue, costs, and projections all together, split them into three separate slides. This keeps the audience focused on one takeaway at a time.
2. Use visuals for numbers.
Graphs and charts make data digestible. For example, show quarterly revenue growth as a line chart instead of a table with 20 numbers. Use bar charts for comparisons, pie charts for percentages, and avoid 3D effects that distort understanding.
3. Highlight key metrics.
Draw attention to the most important numbers. For example, if gross margin improved from 45 percent to 52 percent, bold it, use a contrasting color, or add a small upward arrow to make it pop.
4. Maintain consistency.
Keep fonts, colors, and layout uniform. If your revenue slides use blue and your expense slides use red inconsistently, it distracts. Pick a color palette and stick to it across the deck.
5. Use whitespace strategically.
Slides that feel cramped overwhelm viewers. For example, instead of crowding a slide with 10 financial KPIs, pick three primary KPIs and place the rest on supporting slides or in an appendix.
6. Build hierarchy visually.
Guide the audience’s eye. Place headlines at the top, key numbers in the middle, and supporting context below. For example, a slide could read: “Revenue Up 23 Percent” at the top, followed by the chart, and then a short note: “Driven by new market expansion.”
7. Incorporate storytelling visuals.
Icons or diagrams can make abstract data concrete. For example, use a small icon of a factory next to cost-reduction figures achieved through operational efficiency. It ties numbers to real-world actions.
8. Keep slides readable.
Font size matters. Tables with 12-point text are unreadable in a conference room. Use 24–28 points for text and larger for key figures.
9. Emphasize trends, not every number.
Focus on movement rather than details. For example, instead of showing monthly revenue for 24 months, highlight the trend with a simple line chart and mark the high and low points.
10. Use color strategically.
Color should guide attention and reinforce meaning. For instance, green for growth, red for losses, and muted neutral colors for context. Avoid overwhelming the slide with too many bright colors.
11. Test for clarity.
Before presenting, show your deck to someone unfamiliar with the data. If they can grasp the takeaway without your explanation, your design works. For example, one of our clients’ decks was simplified so a non-finance colleague could summarize the story in one sentence.
FAQ: Should I add animations to a finance deck?
Only if they serve a purpose. Animations are not decoration; they’re a tool to guide attention or reveal numbers step by step. For example, animating a chart to show quarterly growth over time can help your audience follow the trend instead of overwhelming them with all data at once. Avoid flashy transitions or unnecessary effects; they distract and make your presentation feel less credible. In finance, clarity always beats style.
How to Deliver Your Finance Presentation in an Exciting Way
Delivery is where all your hard work pays off. Start by framing your story verbally just as clearly as your slides.
Speak in terms your audience cares about, emphasizing the narrative behind the numbers. For example, instead of saying “Revenue grew 15 percent,” say “Revenue grew 15 percent because our new subscription plan is resonating with customers, and here’s what that means for the next quarter.” The key is to connect numbers to impact, keeping your audience invested in the story.
Next, control pacing and engagement. Don’t rush through slides or read them verbatim. Pause on key figures, use gestures to guide attention, and ask rhetorical questions to make people think. For instance, when showing cost savings, pause and say, “Imagine what we can do with these resources next year.”
Small moments like this turn a typical finance presentation into a dynamic conversation rather than a lecture.
FAQ: What should I do if I see they're losing interest in the middle of my slideshow?
We suggest pausing and re-engaging the audience immediately, but don’t rely on improvisation alone. It’s always better to plan a few interactive moments in advance. For example, while showing a cost-reduction chart, you could ask, “Which of these initiatives do you think had the biggest impact?” or include a quick poll. These planned interactions pull attention back, make the session more dynamic, and keep the focus on why the numbers matter. Having a few ready-to-go engagement points ensures you’re never scrambling mid-presentation.
What to Do if You Have an Existing Financial Deck That Needs a Revamp
If you’ve already got a presentation and it feels a bit lifeless, don’t worry. You don’t have to scrap it. You just have to reshape it.
Here’s how we breathe life into existing decks without starting from zero:
Rewrite Your Slide Titles to Tell a Story
“Revenue Breakdown” says nothing. Change it to “Europe Drove 60% of Revenue Growth.” That one shift forces every slide to communicate instead of just label.
Highlight What Matters Visually
Use color, bold text, or callouts to emphasize what changed, what matters, and what needs attention. Don’t let your audience dig for insights, surface them.
Break Slide Monotony
If every slide looks the same, attention drops fast. Use variation: drop in a single statement slide, a bold number, or a question to reset the room.
Cut the Noise, Focus the Message
One idea per slide. That’s it. Split dense content across multiple slides if needed. People will thank you for the clarity.
Add Context, Not Just Numbers
Numbers without meaning don’t stick. Even short explanations like “Drop due to April price hike” or “Growth driven by new onboarding” help connect the dots.
Making a finance presentation interesting isn’t about adding flair. It’s about stripping away friction so the real message can land.
Why Hire Us to Build your Finance Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.
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