How many people on the front lines of your organization understand how the company makes money? How many know how to read a financial statement? Who knows how much it costs to run their area of the corporation? Understanding how revenues and costs translate into profits is what makes people business literate.

If you want your employees to read, respond to, engage with, and talk about information, consider presenting it in a playful yet informative way.

Keep your presentation simple. Remember that you’re not trying to teach the intricacies of accounting. Instead, find relevant measurements, such as, what is the profit earned per product?

Display your financial statements graphically with cartoons and icons. Tailor the level of your presentation to one that everyone will understand. Deliver critical information so that it entertains, which will make it easy to remember and the subject of conversation.

Follow the lead of Southwest Airlines, simplify your financial statements, then teach your employees to read and analyze them.
Download Southwest Airlines’ Profit and Loss Statement[ pdf ]