Financial Storytelling for FP&A

In FP&A, it’s not enough to produce accurate reports—you must make them resonate. This workshop equips FP&A professionals with the tools to turn financial outputs into powerful narratives that influence decisions and accelerate action. Learn how to frame insights that matter, design visuals that clarify rather than confuse, and structure your reporting to serve strategic goals. You’ll explore practical frameworks like SUCCESs and scenario walkthroughs to ensure every presentation drives impact with stakeholders. Whether reporting to the board, updating department heads, or presenting forecasts, this is how FP&A communicates with influence.

You’re welcome to join just this workshop, but for a deeper dive, we recommend registering for the full program.

Testimonials

Setting up a new FP&A team in a fast-paced business, the FP&A bootcamp was a great way to get everyone on the same page as quickly as possible. We loved Catherine's teaching style and the interactive format of the course. The team took examples from the very first workshop and immediately put them into practice. It sparked such debate in the team that we almost have too many new ideas! A nice problem to have... Thanks Catherine and GrowCFO!

This is both a good refresher for seasoned professionals and a good introduction for individuals with less experience. Time went by very fast as it was an enjoyable course.

The course takes you through a practical approach to FP&A and you walk away with ideas and strategies you can begin to utilize in your business right away.

If you are new to FP&A or have been doing it for years, this is a great course to ensure you are on the correct path. The time commitment isn’t so much that you take too much time away from work, but enough that you feel you are getting plenty of resources to take back to your job.

The courses were very comprehensive and out team learned a lot from them. The breakout groups were both fun and engaging, and the trainers were excellent, bringing impressive first-hand experience in solving these real-world challenges.

This course was fantastic! It was the perfect refresher I needed to start a new job in FP&A. I thoroughly enjoyed the Zoom class sessions along with the exercises that we did in class.

I recommend this to everyone who is interested in understanding FP&A. I’m transitioning to an FP&A role and this course helped me get a jumpstart to prepare myself with the skills required to succeed.

Overview

What we Cover:

The role of storytelling in effective FP&A reporting and forecasting
Moving from data-heavy outputs to insight-led narratives
Best practices for structuring performance updates and dashboards
Visual techniques that help non-finance stakeholders engage with key messages
Using storytelling to support planning, variance analysis, and scenario modelling
Delivering messages that shape strategy, drive accountability, and guide action

The Challenges:

Bridging the gap between financial data and business decision-making
Struggling to communicate key drivers, assumptions, and implications clearly
Reports that inform but don’t inspire action
Forecast presentations that get ignored or misunderstood
Adapting communication to diverse business functions with varying data fluency

The Barriers:

Complex spreadsheets that obscure key takeaways
Too much focus on precision, not enough on relevance
Lack of alignment between financial language and stakeholder priorities
Presenting data without connecting it to strategic objectives
Inconsistent use of visual tools and narrative techniques

Learning Objectives:

Understand how storytelling strengthens FP&A’s role as a strategic advisor
Learn how to distill financial models and forecasts into clear narratives
Apply the SUCCESs framework to structure impactful FP&A presentations
Choose the right chart or visual to fit the message and audience
Enhance your ability to deliver updates that drive planning and action
Gain techniques for presenting confidently and credibly under pressure

Business Benefits:

Drive faster and more aligned decision-making across the business
Increase the impact of planning, forecasting, and variance analysis
Position FP&A as a trusted source of clarity and strategic insight
Reduce time wasted on misunderstood or ignored reports
Build a culture of data-driven storytelling and financial accountability

Facilitator

Catherine Marks

Catherine led the O2 FP&A team through its merger with Virgin Media.

Prerequisites: Must have a basic understanding of FP&A.

Advanced Preparation: No advanced preparation is required

Program Level: Basic

Delivery Method: Group Live

BOOK YOUR PLACE

Unlock Full Access with Premium Membership

Gain access to: