Five Ways to Make Numbers Matter
“Numbers have an important story to tell. They rely on you to give them a clear and convincing voice.” – Steven Few, information technology innovator, teacher, and consultant.
Numbers need a voice. When presenting quantitative results, there is a tendency to just start ‘talking numbers.’ Although you know your numbers well and feel that they clearly support your conclusions, your audience likely needs a clear context to fully understand your data and the implications of your numbers. Questions, customization, visuals, repetition, and strong take-away messages make your presentations powerful and make your conclusions memorable enough for your audience to ‘take away’ and share with others.
The strongest stories are based on and supported by numbers that provide data, information, and insight presented in ways that bring actionable messages to the organizations we serve.
Start with a Question and Provide Context
How do you tell a story with your data? One way is to start with a compelling question. Ask the questions that you plan to answer with your data and tell your audience why answering these questions is critical to the success of the organization. "Why do I have high turnover?", “Why do I have low engagement?”, “How can I improve culture?” are some examples of questions one could ask. After asking the questions, provide a brief explanation of procedures or sources used for data collection and tell the audience how getting the answers will provide a path to improvement
Customize to the Audience
Every audience can be different in little nuances or large discrepancies. Some understand their own data, while others don’t know where to begin discussing it. Apart from tying the numbers to the initial question, you can provide differing levels of statistics and quantitative information. Sometimes, even the most basic level is too aversive to allow for understanding. A great way to supplement the quantitative information is by including qualitative reports. Testimonials, stories, and experiences from employees, clients, or experts can add a breath of life to the numbers by making them feel real and understandable. By creating this hybrid in the presentation, you can easily increase buy-in and focus that will help improve understanding of the numbers.
Use Visuals to Strengthen Your Message
Learning and understanding is facilitated when information is presented in several different ways and when different parts of the brain are stimulated simultaneously. When done well, use of charts, graphs, pictures, or timelines along with printed numbers and your verbal presentation grab and hold the attention of your audience. On the flip side, when they are not done well, they can be misleading and more of a distraction, so learning the basics of good visualization is important. Visuals will also improve your ability to use the data to communicate important support for your conclusions. Make sure your visuals are bright and accurate, and that they enhance understanding.
Repeat the Important Information
You want your audience to remember a few important messages. Repeat them clearly and concisely in a way that will make them memorable. Say it. Show it. Summarize it. You probably spend significant resources including time, money, and labor gathering and processing this data so it’s important that the results are communicated effectively. All stakeholders need to be able to understand and implement the lessons learned so that the end result is a better organization. In order to internalize information people need to hear it, see it, and experience it several times.
Finish with Take-aways
Your audience will benefit greatly from having powerful take-away points. Summarize the questions asked, the data used, and the lessons learned. Then provide the take-aways, which are the key facts or points that you want your audience to remember. Effective take-aways are simple, short, and memorable. You also want them to be actionable and easy to share. As you conclude your presentation, you can remind the audience of data points and visuals that support your conclusions. The finale, however, should be a few take-aways that are stated clearly, concisely, and boldly so that your audience will hear your clear and convincing voice.
At C1C, our knowledge and experience provides us with unique opportunities to tell stories in ways that can help improve organizations. The strongest stories are based on and supported by numbers that provide data, information, and insight presented in ways that bring actionable messages to the organizations we serve. If you would like to discuss making your numbers matter further, or have questions about any of these recommendations, feel free to reach out!