How do you share your budget and plan with your audience?

You have spent hours creating a detailed budget and plan for your project or department. You know how much money you need, how you will allocate it, and what outcomes you expect. But how do you communicate this information to your audience, whether it is your boss, your team, your clients, or your stakeholders? Here are some tips to help you share your budget and plan effectively and persuasively.

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1 Know your purpose

Before you present your budget and plan, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Do you want to get approval, feedback, buy-in, or support? Do you want to inform, persuade, or inspire? Depending on your purpose, you may need to adjust your tone, style, format, and level of detail. For example, if you want to persuade your boss to increase your budget, you may need to emphasize the benefits, risks, and return on investment of your plan. If you want to inform your team about their roles and responsibilities, you may need to provide more details, timelines, and milestones.

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2 Know your audience

Another key factor to consider is who you are presenting to and what they care about. Different audiences may have different expectations, preferences, and questions about your budget and plan. You need to tailor your message to suit their needs, interests, and concerns. For example, if you are presenting to your clients, you may need to focus on how your plan will deliver value, quality, and satisfaction. If you are presenting to your stakeholders, you may need to show how your plan aligns with their goals, vision, and values.

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A J Bourne MInstAM

Administrator, content creator, Information Manager, Peripatetic Adult Educator, Presenter and musician
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Quality of the product/service is related to the amount of time and resources you invest in it. Some people want it fast, some want it "good" or "better". The reality of that kind of thinking is that you often can't have BOTH. Investing time and money can lead to a better product but your boss probably wants it in half the time you are proposing... A good reputation for a quality product or service is often more valuable than profit - even in an "internal" market. I developed VBA packages in-house at a fraction of the cost of out-sourcing it. Knowing the business need, I was able to offer a more cost-effective solution and advance my own career at the same time!

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3 Choose your format

Once you have defined your purpose and audience, you need to decide how you will present your budget and plan. You can choose from various formats, such as slides, reports, dashboards, or infographics. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type and amount of information you want to convey. For example, slides are good for highlighting key points, reports are good for providing details and evidence, dashboards are good for showing progress and performance, and infographics are good for visualizing data and trends. You should choose the format that best suits your purpose, audience, and content.

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A J Bourne MInstAM

Administrator, content creator, Information Manager, Peripatetic Adult Educator, Presenter and musician
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I find that it's all about the available options. You need to include risk management and timescales as well as the key money facts. Depending on the product/service under discussion, physical objects (like a prototype) can sometimes be useful to demonstrate ideas and rationale. Support that with statistics, costs and maybe even the legendary "balanced score card". You also need to remember how much detail your audience needs - and (respectfully) how capable they are of actually understanding and how relevant the information you are presenting is to their role!

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4 Use clear and simple language

No matter what format you use, you should always use clear and simple language to communicate your budget and plan. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and technical terms that may confuse or alienate your audience. Explain any concepts or assumptions that may not be familiar or obvious to them. Use short sentences, active verbs, and concrete examples to make your message easy to understand and remember. Use headings, bullet points, and transitions to organize your information and guide your audience through your logic and reasoning.

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5 Use visuals and stories

Another way to make your budget and plan more engaging and compelling is to use visuals and stories. Visuals, such as charts, graphs, images, or icons, can help you illustrate your data, show comparisons, highlight trends, or emphasize key messages. Stories, such as anecdotes, case studies, or testimonials, can help you connect with your audience emotionally, show the impact of your plan, or demonstrate your credibility and expertise. Visuals and stories can also help you break the monotony of numbers and facts and capture your audience's attention and interest.

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A J Bourne MInstAM

Administrator, content creator, Information Manager, Peripatetic Adult Educator, Presenter and musician
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This is a good way to tie up the ideas from the previous points. You state the problem, what you are doing now, how you can improve it (or actually have improved it) and then you justify your preferred option with case studies (if you are continuing a project) and hypothetical "what-if" scenarios for new customers who would benefit from your new or improved product. You really need to do some research with your existing and potential customers. It is not wise to simply fabricate case studies without evidence. In some circumstances and situations it might be cool to have an actual customer or potential customer to speak about experiences and needs. In business terms, it justifies your costs to the customer - and the boss too!

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6 Practice and prepare

Finally, you should always practice and prepare before you share your budget and plan with your audience. Practice your presentation or delivery, whether it is in person, online, or in writing. Check your timing, tone, pace, and body language. Anticipate potential questions, objections, or feedback and prepare your responses. Review your budget and plan for accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Make sure your format, language, visuals, and stories are appropriate, relevant, and effective. By practicing and preparing, you can boost your confidence, credibility, and professionalism.

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A J Bourne MInstAM

Administrator, content creator, Information Manager, Peripatetic Adult Educator, Presenter and musician
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If you have a team, use them. It doesn't matter where you are in the hierarchy, practice your presentation with your team as the audience (even if they are already participating in other ways). It highlights gaps as well as inaccuracies. It's not unknown for me to pick somebody at random and see if my presentation gives them an understanding of the subject. I'm not fussy - it could be somebody in my office, the guy in the team/office next door or even an outsider (with a mind on the sensitivity of anything I might be talking about!). Every presentation - practice or real should have an evaluation questionnaire of some kind...

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you share your budget and plan with your audience?

1

2

3

4

5

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7

1 Know your purpose

2 Know your audience

3 Choose your format

4 Use clear and simple language

5 Use visuals and stories

6 Practice and prepare

7 Here’s what else to consider

Operational Planning

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How do you share your budget and plan with your audience?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Know your purpose

2 Know your audience

3 Choose your format

4 Use clear and simple language

5 Use visuals and stories

6 Practice and prepare

7 Here’s what else to consider

Operational Planning

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