Hello Reader 👋

Autumn is here, and at this time of year I often feel nostalgic about my old life in finance: planning, budgets, long-term plans.

Sometimes, I miss a lot of it, but then I remember that I had to send pre-reads, and suddenly, I'm OK.

Honestly, I have never been a big fan of them. They take time to prepare, and most of the time nobody reads them.

I also know the culture battle is lost before it starts, because people want to be in control and a document in their inbox gives them that.

So instead of fighting it, I decided to make the pre-read efficient.

This week, I am sharing my new video on what to send before an executive meeting and why your pre-read and your presentation should never be the same file.

So take a coffee, sit down and read FP&A Stories just like 16k other readers

📨 Why your pre-read and your presentation are two different jobs

The pre-read and the presentation are the same file

In most companies the pre-read is the monthly pack, sent the evening before the meeting.

Half of the ExCo reads it, forms an opinion, and by the time you start presenting the next morning you spend your slot answering conclusions that were written without you.

A deck detailed enough to be understood alone is too detailed to present. So the slides fill up with explanations: a small box under the waterfall telling people why the volume bucket moved, when the chart next to it already shows it.

That box is a symptom of one deck trying to inform on its own and support you live at the same time.

Then you present it, and the ExCo reads the slide while you talk. Something built for one job rarely works for the other.

What a pre-read does well

It would be easy to say stop sending them. I would not recommend that fight in your company.

• A pre-read gives the ExCo time to prepare their questions instead of improvising them live.
• It reduces the risk of someone feeling ambushed by a conclusion they did not expect.
• In some companies it is also part of governance, because decisions have to be traceable and a document has to exist before the meeting.

What to send

I send three things:

1️⃣ The detailed report goes as an attachment, which is your safety net for the member of the ExCo who likes to dig into the tables

2️⃣ A proper executive summary goes in the body of the email

3️⃣ The third is one sentence at the end of your message, and it does more for your credibility than any amount of extra formatting.

The video covers how to word each one, what to do about the people who never open the attachment, and what I think of Amazon’s six-page narrative memo.

▶️ Watch the video: click here​

That's a wrap for this week

See you next week!​

P.S.

After 17 years in FP&A, Consulting and Leadership, I’ve coached and trained finance teams across industries, from consulting and manufacturing to tech, media, and global logistics.
Through The Finance Circle, I’ve had the chance to work with teams from companies like Ralph Lauren, Deloitte, Roche, Holcim, CMA CGM, Bauer Media, Indeed, Volvo, AbbVie, NATO, and many others.

If you want to sharpen your own storytelling skills or bring this work into your team, here are a 3 ways can work together:

• ​Financial Storytelling Program for Individuals​
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• ​Train Your Team — Book a Call​
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If you're unsure which option fits best, reply to this email. I’ll point you in the right direction.