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HOW TO HAVE AN INTERESTING AND
EFFECTIVE SAFETY MEETING . . .
Using Statistics - Part I
We live in an age of statistics. Day in and day out
we are bombarded with a staggering array of numbers. According to
Lord Kelvin, the 19th-century physicist, "When you can measure
what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know
something about it. But when you cannot measure it, when you cannot
express it in numbers, your knowledge is... meager and unsatisfactory."
It is this widely-shared belief that makes statistics,
when used properly, such an effective way to clarify and support
ideas. That’s why a presentation that is supported by statistics
is usually more persuasive than an undocumented presentation.
Tips for Using Statistics
1) Use Statistics to Quantify Your Ideas
The main value of statistics is to give your ideas
numerical precision. This can be especially important when you are
trying to document the existence of a problem. Examples can bring
the problem alive and dramatize it in personal terms. But your listeners
may still wonder how many people the problem actually affects. Suppose
you are speaking about the decline in driving skills among elderly
motorists. You give an example, you personalize it, you provide
many details, as follows:
On June 22 of last year--77-year-old
Pearl Kramm, of Tuscola, Illinois, went to renew her driver’s
license. She began by backing up over a curb and into a tree. Despite
this not-so-perfect beginning, she was allowed to continue. She
shouldn't have been—because she proceeded to drive straight
through the plate-glass window of the Driver Testing Center, killing
one person and seriously injuring three others.
Confronted with this example, a listener might think,
"Yes, that's very unfortunate, quite tragic; but are there
really that many elderly motorists in America who have trouble driving?"
Anticipating such a response, a sharp presenter would include figures
to quantify the problem:
According to statistics from the Transportation Research
Board, motorists over the age of 75 are twice as likely to be involved
in an accident than the average motorist, while the accident rate
for drivers over age 80 is triple that for all other drivers on
the road.
Now the audience is much more likely to agree that
driver safety among elderly motorists is a serious problem.
2) Understand Your Statistics Before You Use Them
Most of us are familiar with the saying "It's
easy to lie with statistics." Although the gathering of statistics
is indeed sometimes at fault, more often the speaker's interpretation
of the numbers or the way they are presented, is what clouds complete
truth. The only way to avoid such shady interpretations is to investigate
every statistic objectively, then present it to your listeners according
to your honest understanding. To add credibility to your statistics,
mention your source. If you are responsible for keeping your company's
accident! OSHA records then you might be the source; however, you
should still let your audience know that the numbers weren't just
"pulled out of the air."
3) Don’t Use too Many Numbers and Statistics
A sure way to lose the attention and interest of your
audience is to start showing a bunch of numbers and statistics.
And yet many times these numbers are the very foundation of the
key point you are trying to make. What to do? Edit your material.
If you have two statistics proving the same point, select the one
that is more dramatic.
To use several statistics to prove the same point
doesn’t necessarily confirm the point. In fact, it may cause
confusion. (Surveys show that few listeners can remember more than
one statistic when leaving the auditorium or conference room.) So
cut the number of statistics in a presentation by cutting out the
duplication.
As helpful as statistics can be, they still tend to
bore an audience. Part II will include ways to liven your statistics
by giving them form and flesh.
Read On
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