HOW TO HAVE AN INTERESTING AND
EFFECTIVE SAFETY MEETING . . .
Using Statistics - Part II
There’s probably no more exquisite form of boredom in human
life than listening to someone recite statistics. Why is that? Well
consider the definition of a "statistic." This useful
form of support for accuracy of statements is a collection of facts
stated in numerical terms." Facts are emotionless, especially
numerical ones. There's no "life" to them. Even if they
are astonishing, they still don't affect the senses.
People really don't want pure information. They want to know the
significance of the information they're getting. Even more important,
they want to know how they can use the information to make their
jobs--and their lives--better and safer. Using a well-placed statistic
can be a great way to accomplish this--provided the statistic is
presented well.
Charts and Graphs
The most common way to make statistics more interesting is by
using graphs, bar charts, or pie charts. They help some, but not
much. One reason is because most people are poor trend-spotters;
so don't expect tables or graphs to tell the story by themselves:
they won't. It’s you who’ll have to point out the thing
that jumps to the eye--that is, that jumps to your eye but not
his or hers.
Round Off
Unless there is an important reason to give exact numbers you
should round off most statistics. Instead of 64 percent you can
say, "Almost two out of three." For 21.2 percent, phrase
it "a little over one out of five." Despite the spread
of pocket computers, listeners still picture numbers best as extensions
of their own hand--two out of five, three out of ten, or once
every so many hours.
Decimal points like 31.8 percent might sound as if they are real
and not made up. But they are forgotten as soon as they are uttered.
Another effective use of numbers is to say "Our back injuries
were cut in half’ or "The number of accident reports
has nearly tripled."
If you give form and flesh to figures, they turn from abstract
to solid, from something mathematical to something visual. A mention
of 121 million gallons of oil found in a new reserve makes little
impact. Relate it instead to a picture by saying that is enough
to heat the city of Boston for six winters.
It’s a fallacy that numbers are meaningful in and of themselves.
They have relevance--significance--only when they're used comparatively.
For example, suppose you observe that car accidents each year
claim the lives of more than 45,000 Americans. Your listeners
may nod, but secretly they're wondering: "Is that a lot?"
Suppose you then add: "That's more fatalities than we had
in the entire Vietnam War. It's as if we wiped out an entire city
the size of Burlington, Vermont, or Athens, Georgia, every year."
Tie Them Directly To Your Audience
Whenever you use statistics in your presentation, think of how
you can make them meaningful for your audience. Rather than simply
reciting the fact that, say, 50 percent of Americans will experience
at least one bout of serious back pain in their life, divide the
group in half somehow showing one side to be "back-pain"
sufferers.
Breakdown your lost time accident/OSHA rate to show how much
it increases the changes of a person in the room getting seriously
injured when it rises. That way employees will realize that the
"numbers" can impact their life and happiness
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