Paul Barnhurst argues you need to simplify complex work into a 20-minute presentation by cutting unnecessary details and focusing on key points. He uses an inverted tree as a metaphor for how effective communication should be structured.
If you are not able to simplify what you've done over the last few months into a 20 minute deliverable, you probably don't know what you did well enough or you just don't realize what parts are most important, what parts are nice to know and what parts do you just leave out. And so I sometimes share with people when you're doing a presentation or deliverable or you're running a meeting, think about it almost like it's an upside down tree. If you think about a tree it starts on the bottom with the trunk, it goes up to the main branches, then it goes out to the twigs and then the leaves. But if you invert it and you say well let me actually start with the trunk, let me start with the key points and then let me diverge into the few other major points. But I'm not going to go down the twigs and I'm not going to go into the leaves unless I absolutely need to.
Trust and Leadership Lessons for FP&A From 100+ Top Leaders with CFO Jon Laudie
