9 Ways to Adapt Your Communication Style When Discussing Finances with Different Stakeholders
Financial conversations rarely follow a one-size-fits-all approach, yet many professionals struggle to adjust their messaging for different audiences. Whether presenting to board members, department heads, or front-line employees, the ability to tailor financial information can mean the difference between clarity and confusion. This article draws on insights from industry experts to explore nine practical strategies for adapting communication styles when discussing finances with various stakeholders.
Align Metrics With Audience
When I talk money with surgeons, I get straight to ROI and profit metrics. But with newer clinics, I stick to everyday language about budgets and growth. It's a simple switch, but it works. People stop worrying about the financial side and actually start making decisions with more confidence.
Calibrate Detail Via Literacy
When discussing financial matters in my real estate investment company, I've found that understanding your audience's financial literacy level is crucial for effective communication. For lenders and investors, I use detailed cash flow projections, cap rates, and IRR calculations because they expect data-driven analysis. However, when speaking with homeowners we're purchasing from, I translate complex financial concepts into simple language—explaining how our offer compares to retail sales after accounting for repairs, holding costs, and realtor fees, often using visual comparisons they can easily grasp. My approach for reading my audience starts with asking questions upfront about their familiarity with real estate finance, then adjusting my terminology and level of detail accordingly. I've learned to always lead with the "why it matters" before diving into numbers, as this keeps all stakeholders engaged regardless of their financial background. This tailored approach has significantly improved our deal closure rates and stakeholder satisfaction.
Map Message Across Mental Models
Tailoring financial communications is not just a matter of simplifying or embellishing - it means tuning up the signal to the recipient's mental model. I frame my conversations with engineers in terms of system constraints, trade-offs, and resource allocation for example; however, when I speak to executives the same information will be framed around risk, opportunity, and long term leveraged results; whilst when dealing with non-engineers my focus is purely on the clarity of narrative: what does the decision mean to them and why is it important?
Before I explain anything, I look at the questions people ask first, therefore my actions are straightforward: Engineers will ask "how does this work?" Business Leaders will say "what is the effect?" and Operators will want to know "what's the next step?" The first one, the question asked, tells me exactly where the individual is on the stack that makes up their communication needs; I match my communication to that layer of the stack and from that point forward the conversation works without friction, with everyone feeling valued and the financial decisions being clearly understood and accepted.
Speak Finance Through Their Lens
Communicating financial matters across diverse stakeholders is one of the most underrated leadership skills—because numbers alone don't drive decisions. People do. And different people need different entry points. The key is learning to speak finance as a second language—one that flexes depending on whether you're talking to the C-suite, department heads, or frontline staff.
My approach starts with this question: What does this person care about most? For executives, it's usually risk, ROI, or strategic positioning. For department heads, it's operational impact—how finances will enable or constrain their teams. For staff, it's often about stability, fairness, and what changes will mean for their day-to-day. Once I've identified their lens, I match my communication accordingly. I might use ratios and forecasts for one group, and analogies or impact storytelling for another.
For example, when we proposed a budget realignment last year that would reallocate funds toward a digital transformation initiative, I had to present it three different ways. To the CFO, I highlighted cost efficiencies and long-term payback periods. To department leaders, I framed the changes in terms of resource flexibility and headcount protection. To staff, I used visual slides and simple, transparent language—focusing on how this shift meant fewer bottlenecks and less manual work. Same numbers, different conversations.
The Harvard Business Review reports that one of the biggest reasons financial initiatives stall is because decision-makers fail to customize communication to the level of financial literacy and emotional investment of each stakeholder. When teams feel talked at—with jargon or vague summaries—they disengage. But when they feel understood, they ask better questions, challenge constructively, and own the numbers.
In conclusion, tailoring financial communication isn't about dumbing things down—it's about making them resonate. Read the room. Ask what's at stake for your audience. Then shape the message not just to inform, but to connect. When you speak finance in their language, you don't just earn approval—you build alignment. And alignment is the real currency of any successful financial decision.
Translate Numbers Into Operational Impact
The way I successfully tailor my communication style about financial matters is by shifting the focus from the numbers themselves to the measurable impact of those numbers on their specific job. The warehouse manager doesn't need to see the corporate profit and loss statement; they need to see how inventory speed affects their overtime budget.
My approach for reading and adapting to my audience is the "Friction-to-Process Translation." I audit the audience's primary job function and translate financial facts into the specific operational friction they understand. For the Logistics Lead, a cost overrun is presented as "a 25 percent spike in packaging waste." For the Marketing Lead, it's presented as "a 15 percent drop in return on ad spend."
This works because it bypasses confusion and speaks immediately to competence. I stop wasting time explaining financial jargon and start giving them actionable data points they can immediately fix. This proves that finance at Co-Wear isn't about auditing; it's about providing clear, precise, operational intelligence that helps every team member do their job better and more profitably.
Start Personal Then Show Proof
Hey, honestly, I used to just send everyone the same deck and wonder why some people ghosted me. Big lesson learned.
Now when I'm on WeChat with a Chinese family, I spend the first ten minutes asking about their kids' schools, only after that do I show the timeline with "green card in hand" circled in red. Numbers come last.
With U.S. immigration lawyers, I lead with policy: "This project just got I-956F approval, here's the exact language on job creation..." they love that.
For RIAs? I open the Excel model on screen-share in the first 60 seconds.
I basically watch their face/body language like a hawk. If they lean in when I talk immigration and financial investment, I stay there.
Let me know if you want to know further?
Best Zoe
Frame Figures For Each Group
When money comes up with different teams, I change how I talk about it. With engineers, we'll dig into unit economics. With investors, I'll bring up benchmarks against other AI startups. Getting everyone on the same page with these numbers from the start just makes everything smoother and avoids a lot of confusion.
Begin Simple Add Depth On Interest
How I talk numbers depends on the person. Business owners want the big picture, while marketers want to know the cost per result. I used to lose new clients in jargon, so now I start simple and only add more if they seem interested. Just watch for their cues during the conversation. That tells you whether to stay general or get into the specifics.
Address Value Among Constituencies
I first figure out who I'm talking to, collectors or staff, since they care about completely different things. With collectors, I'll talk about rarity and an item's future value. With my team, it's all about sales targets and how their work helps us hit them. This didn't fix everything overnight, but speaking their language has made the conversations so much easier.
