Making Numbers Count
By Chip Heath
Why You Should Read This If you work with numbers or use numbers in persuasive presentations, you need to read and embrace the concepts in this book. Here is the link to the Audible version of the book but I also recommend buying a physical book that you can dog-ear and highlight.
Enjoying thought prompting books recommended by Malcom Gladwell and Adam Grant was the reason why I joined The Next Big Idea Club, which sends two new books each quarter. I am never disappointed and always find wisdom and a new skill to develop or a new way to view an existing skill. Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers by Chip Heath and Karla Starr did not disappoint, despite being 182, but impactful, pages.
People unfairly categorize themselves into being either “numbers people” or “not numbers people” but this is a myth as the authors describe how our brains are not meant to understand large scale numbers. What the authors offer instead are the antidotes to this narrowly defining construct and more importantly, confusing presentations that heavily rely upon facts, figures, and results, which ultimately lose the intended message. It also serves as a reminder for those of us who frequently work with numbers that we must also work to ensure that when using numbers in our presentations, numbers must be more than “user friendly” – they must convey impact, scale, and action.
What I appreciated the most is how the authors identified four major areas where simply using numbers creates confusion and disengagement and then turns the table to show how to recraft statements to achieve a more engaging and thought prompting result:
- Translate everything - focus on user-friendly numbers or completely avoid them to make your point
- So that people grasp your numbers, ground them in the familiar, concrete, and human scale
- Use emotional numbers to move people to think and act differently – the examples used by Florence Nightingale clearly represent how we can move beyond presentations to moving others to understand what is not obvious
- Build a scale model – in other words, how do the numbers that I present adequately convey the range and size of the intended impact
In each instance, an example of the before and after is provided that drives the points home.
How You Can Apply This Numbers on papers, podcasts, and presentations can be really confusing and many people feel either numbed by them or shamed by their lack of understanding. What the authors offer is a framework to making numbers digestible, impactful, actionable, and engaging while becoming less intimidating. If you want to encourage people to act on your recommendations, use the techniques in this book to convey your conclusions and engage people to act.
Additional Materials For Reinforcing What You Learned For those of you who are members of the Next Big Idea Club, take the time and go through the brilliant course that is crafted by the author. To quote Dr. Chip Heath, “Numbers are waaay cool!” And he walks through how to include emotion and concreteness into our use of numbers to affect change and motivate others to act. My favorite part is the “Power of One” – how does my product, services, experience impact that one ideal user of it?
This book review was written by Shelley A. Svoren, VP – Leader Development for IAWA and who is the CEO + Founder of Infinite Branches. You can DM her on LinkedIn.