Self Employed

I teach turnkey one-on-one English communication skills programmes strictly tailored for finance professionals. They develop fluency and clarity in their English communication skills in order to help them improve their job performance and strive towards securing future career opportunities.

English Communication Coach for Corporate Finance & Investment Professionals

Peaky Blinders Restaurant Monaghan

My responsibilities included:
- Bartending
- Serving food
- Hospitality
- Stock Taking

Bartender

If you are an Investment or Corporate Finance Professional, and need to improve in any of the following areas:

◾ Writing clear, concise marketing docs/reports/emails/contracts.
◾ Finding the right words when speaking in meetings.
◾ Drafting + delivering compelling presentations.
◾ Making a lasting impression in English interviews.
◾ Taking leadership or providing instructions to your team.


If you're motivated by any of the following:

👉 Moving forward in your career.
👉 Seizing the opportunity in job interviews.
👉 Upskilling your communication to become a better-rounded professional.


🗝 I'd be happy to help you:

◾ Communicate your ideas effectively in meetings and calls
◾ Speak more fluently and naturally in English.
◾ Develop your confidence in interviews.
◾ Deliver compelling pitches or presentations.
◾ Develop your leadership skills through English.
◾ Refine your writing skills for when it really matters.


I post content regularly on LinkedIn for precisely these purposes.
Feel free to connect/follow and hit the 🔔 at the top of my profile to stay up to date.

📧 If you are eager to improve now, send me a DM so we can schedule a free strategy call.

🎯 I run a programme tailored to help investment & corporate finance professionals excel in their English communication skills.

🗝 We can discuss your current needs and goals. And I can advise you on a pathway forward to develop your communication skills and soft skills in English.

You’ve finalised your model/forecast.

If you can’t make this next step, you may as well have guessed the forecasted figures.

That is, 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Here are a few things I’ve found helpful at this stage:

1️⃣ Signpost language

How clearly do you transition between business lines?
Or from gross margins to adjusted EBITDA figures?

If your transitions are too abrupt, your audience will struggle to keep up.

Tailor your language for clear transitions.
“𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐳𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 revenue growth from 2019 to 2022 on the design business line.”

“Stepping back, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝’𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 on the revenue growth potential across each business line”.

🗝 Use your language to direct your audience’s attention.


2️⃣ Explaining figures clearly

“In an optimistic scenario, EBITDA margins will increase by 0.8% this year.”

Okay, why is this optimistic, and how do we achieve this optimistic goal?

What are the key drivers in this optimistic scenario?
Likewise, how do we avoid the pessimistic scenario?

🗝 Listing out data and figures is meaningless unless we understand how we arrived (or can arrive) at those figures. What’s the story?


3️⃣ Not getting too caught up in the jargon

If I spoke about "Days Payable Outstanding" or "Customer Acquisition Cost", I would find it irritating.

Why?
Because I know (or think) I’m wasting valuable time… when I could be saying “DPO” or “CAC”.

This is why we use jargon.

But not everyone was invited to our secret party.

🗝 So be careful who you’re leaving out of the conversation.


4️⃣ Remember the function of a model/forecast

A 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴.

Recognising this reminds us not to get too caught up in the granular details.

This allows us to focus on the steps we can take to drive value within the business or with our clients.


***

I’m curious.
What would you add to this list?

P.S. I could play with this horse meme all day but I’ll restrain myself. 😅

#ExcelwithRyan #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #CommunicationSkills

Ryan Donaghy

Effective presentations involve managing your audience’s attention. 

This is most challenging when presenting numbers/data.


The more focused your audience is, the more likely they will get on board with your ideas.

So what steps can you take to manage their attention better when presenting financials?

Check out the video below.

I’m interested to hear your suggestions in the comments!

***

I will be making a post on Monday on moving beyond the financials toward the “why” and “what next”.

Follow or Connect if you find these posts helpful | Ryan Donaghy

#ExcelwithRyan #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #CommunicationSkills

Use presentations as opportunities to discuss the financial story of the business.

Rather than getting caught up in the figures, focus on…

➡ Why the numbers behave the way they do.
➡ What insights we can derive based on this information.
➡ What are the next steps to improve the financial wellbeing of the business.

I discuss this subject in some more detail in today’s video.

I’m interested — What are your thoughts on making finance presentations (and finance professionals) more valuable?

***

Hi, I’m Ryan 👋

I post daily content to help finance professionals communicate more effectively and advance in their careers.

#ExcelwithRyan #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #CommunicationSkills

Let’s assume for a moment you’re performing well in your technical skills — budgeting, modelling, performing DD, and so on.

What’s the skillset you’re taking for granted?

And no, I’m not talking about your mastery of Excel.

🗝 I’m talking about your communication skills.

Persuading investors/business partners that your recommendation is valuable.
Influencing management and operational decision-making.
Translating the financial stuff for stakeholders.
Negotiating the terms of the SPA.
Building rapport with clients.

How do you master this stuff too?


1️⃣ First, focus on clarity

This applies from presentations to meetings down to report or email writing.
Your audience has a limited attention span.
Prioritise the important stuff.


2️⃣ Second, focus on the soft skills stuff.

Marketing doesn’t care about your budget — so don’t try and make them.
Ask yourself (and them) how you can help them achieve their goals.
Translate your financials into recommendations they care about.

Companies may only experience a merger once in their life-cycle.
Be conscious of this when speaking with management.
This is a very stressful period for them.


3️⃣ Third, get persuasive.

Don’t spend all your time preparing the PPT.
Spend some time on delivery too.
Try a voice recording.

The financials are only part of the picture.
Don’t forget the “why” and “what next”.


➕ Bonus, if you’re a non-native, expand your vocabulary.

Don’t learn general English.
Tailor your vocabulary to finance.
Focus on the phrases you need for meetings, for emails, for interviews.

***

Follow or Connect if you find these posts helpful | Ryan Donaghy

#ExcelwithRyan #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #CommunicationSkills

New Year, new goals and an expanding network 👋

For those of you looking to communicate more effectively with clients and stakeholders...

You may be interested in what I do.

➡ For non-natives, I’ve developed a step-by-step process for communicating more clearly and effectively as a finance professional.

◾ From clearer email writing and PPT drafting
◾ To being a more memorable interview candidate
◾ To explaining financial data in presentations while engaging your audience.


➡ For natives, I run consultations and tailor short-courses to…

◾ Look at your presentation delivery in greater detail
From the human side of things (persuasion, leadership and rapport)
To the granular details (bringing your models, pitches and forecasts to life).

◾ Walk through your ability to “sell yourself” in interviews
From explaining technical details + data in a non-boring way
To using storytelling to position yourself as an ideal candidate.


If any of this sounds helpful, you can send me a message.

Either way, I hope you find my content useful.

#ExcelwithRyan #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #CommunicationSkills

When do your communication skills matter in finance?

When do they actually impact your job performance?

This is a question I frequently ask myself.

I need to be clear on the value I’m contributing.

And it helps immensely if you know what skills are being demanded from you as a finance professional.


In short, communication skills matter when you wish to…

1️⃣ Influence
2️⃣ Communicate data
3️⃣ Avoid negative biases


***

P.S. Happy New Year, I hope everyone had / is having a nice break.

Connect or Follow if you find these posts helpful | Ryan Donaghy

#ExcelwithRyan #CommunicationSkills #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking

“Maldición de conocimiento” - the curse of knowledge.

How does this bias hinder your value as a finance professional?

And, more importantly, what can you do about it?


I was combining two hobbies recently — learning about psychology and practising my Spanish.

I was watching a video on “sesgos cognitivos” (cognitive biases).
And one that stood out was the “curse of knowledge”.

In simple terms, it’s the confused look you get when you go into too much detail on cash-flow analysis or budget requirements when speaking with operations.

Finance professionals interpret figures.
So they tend to think in terms of figures.

But other departments think differently.

So, to maximise the value of your insights, you must learn to communicate in a way that resonates with other business leaders.

🖊 Business acumen is at the core of this — having a deep understanding of how your work contributes to the bigger picture and goals of the business.

“I know you are eager to integrate these new tools to make the onboarding process more efficient. 

But X is what we noticed with the tools you trialled last quarter. 
And based on data Y, we recommend Z this quarter.”

(which means our budget won’t be overextended, meanwhile we are respecting your idea and your projects).

***

Tl;dr

Knowledge is only a curse when you don’t know how to communicate it effectively. 

Learn to relate your financial insights to the plans, goals, and challenges of operations (or clients) to bridge this gap.


How do you bridge the communication gap between finance and the rest of the organisation (or with your clients) ❓

#ExcelwithRyan #CommunicationSkills #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking

As a busy finance professional, you don’t have time to waste on English.

But to win clients, close deals, influence decision-making and develop rapport with stakeholders, you need sharp communication skills.

➡ So here’s a recommendation on how to spend your time wisely.


1️⃣ Expand your vocabulary to avoid repeating yourself

Important -> Critical/Essential
Good -> Hopeful/Eye-opening
Range -> Variety/Scope


2️⃣ Expand your vocabulary to achieve greater fluency

Learn to communicate more flexibly and confidently by finding alternatives for common words.

Especially phrasal verbs and idioms.

I want to 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 the marketing docs -> I want to 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳
We will 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 on the contact terms -> We will 𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 the terms.


3️⃣ Don’t worry about communicating perfectly. Focus on clarity

Non-native English speakers can get concerned over pronunciation, grammar mistakes on slides, etc.

But it doesn’t really matter.
(Well, getting the #s right matters).

As long as you communicate clearly, and prioritise your insights, recommendations and rapport-building.


4️⃣ Talking financials

Use signpost language to control where your audience directs their attention.
𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 the EBITDA margins…
𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 the Q2 BvA figures.

The clearer you are speaking about the financials, the easier it is to follow the figures and understand the story.


Speaking of the story. Communicating the “why” and “what next” behind the data is the most important use of your communication skills.

I’ll be making a video on Friday on this topic. Stay tuned!


➡ How do you make these changes?

Learn the words are expressions using flashcards
Then find opportunities to use them at work.
Start with Brainscape (Google it).

Practise your meeting and presentations using voice recordings
You need a feedback loop to improve.

This isn’t hard to do on your own.
But if you want to speed up the process, I’d be happy to help. 👋

***

If you find these posts helpful, press 'Follow' and click the bell on my profile 🔔 

#ExcelwithRyan #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #CommunicationSkills

Accounting is a language of its own.

But most of the business doesn’t speak this language.

So how can you make the transition from finance ➡ business lingual?


1️⃣ The first, most critical, step is understanding your audience and their language

Who is in the audience?
What do they care about?
What is their communication style?

Each person/team has different targets and goals.
Each has their preferred style of communication.

Some prefer short and concise.
Some prefer data-heavy documents.
Some prefer to follow their own metrics (and don't care about yours).

🗝 The better tailored your language and communication style, the more impact you will have.


2️⃣ Think from your stakeholder/client's shoes

What do they care about most?
How can you frame your message in terms that resonate with them?

E.g., Don’t focus on the budget if that isn’t your stakeholder/business partner’s priority.

🗝 Focus, instead, on their projects, their goals and how you can help them achieve their goals thanks to your financial insights.


3️⃣ Work backwards from the goal and only use the financials to support this goal

What is your goal for the presentation/meeting (email, even)?

What is your journey to that goal?
Each slide/point should bring you one step closer to your goal.

If you’re sharing financial data, only share the necessary stuff.

🗝 More information than necessary always risks confusing your audience.


4️⃣ Get to know operations.

Can you speak about marketing/R&D/HR in a way that business leaders don't immediately assume you’re the “finance guy”?

If you can speak in your stakeholders/business partners’ terms, your ideas are more likely to be acted on.

🗝 If you’re the “cost-cutter”, rapport-building will be hard.

***

I want to open the discussion to you.

How do you speak in terms of driving business value rather than accounting/finance?


#ExcelwithRyan #CommunicationSkills #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking

Is your financial data and recommendations both 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦?

Are they accurate 𝐚𝐧𝐝 giving a bigger picture of the business?

Why did gross margins decrease?
The most obvious answer is that COGS rose.

And inflation has been high, so this makes sense.

COGS isn’t going back down anytime soon, so we have to factor this into our margins.

But what if we didn’t have to accept that change?
What would we do differently?

Would we consider different suppliers?

Perhaps even a slightly different product design (using materials that haven’t been as affected by inflation)?

🗝 Ask questions and search for flaws and biases in our thinking.
With this, we can refine our insights and identify real opportunities for growth and cost-cutting.

Sometimes this means opening our minds about the data.

And sometimes, it means getting up from the desk and asking questions around the business.

***

What steps do you take to ensure your data and insights are both true and 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞?

Follow or Connect | Ryan Donaghy

#ExcelwithRyan #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #CommunicationSkills

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