Effectively Communicating Numbers and Budget Information to the Public

Numbers are at the core of a public finance officer’s job. Being able to effectively communicate those numbers to other people is very important. The challenge is that numbers are not a first language for many people in the finance officer’s audience. In fact, the average American has only “basic” number skills. Therefore, it’s important to translate numbers to a human scale, which can be done by choosing user-friendly numbers and making them personal. This will help in communicating things like the value of government or communicating the burden of debt to help public officials make better decisions.

Join our webinar to learn about GFOA’s research on making numbers count to address communication challenges faced by public finance officers like justifying the growth in the budget or encouraging efficiency and cost avoidance. Participants will hear from public information and finance officers from Thousand Oaks, CA and Baytown, TX about their approach to effectively communicating numbers to citizens and public officials to make better decisions.

Who Will Benefit: Budget Analyst, Budget Manager, CFO/Finance Director, Department Director

• Learn about how the human mind processes and stores numbers.
• Discuss the challenges of communicating numbers and other financial information to the public and other stakeholders.
• Identify the strategies available for public finance officers to effectively communicate budgetary and other financial information to public officials and citizens.