| This leads many speakers to make use of | | | | to hear well-crafted words, not numbers. Even if |
| statistics in their presentations. It is an intuitive | | | | the numbers provide some great insight, they do |
| decision. The facts and numbers one discovered | | | | not match with what people generally expect to |
| during their research may have been the very | | | | hear from a presenter. We are all creatures of |
| pieces of information that led to the development | | | | habit and we tend to respond poorly to those |
| of their viewpoint in the first place. The discovery | | | | things that do not meet our expectations. That is |
| of trends, the startling revelations revealed in a | | | | why the best public speakers adhere to certain |
| statistical report and the recognition of a problem | | | | conventions that have developed over the |
| as revealed by numbers can be the very | | | | centuries. A speech heavy on numbers defies |
| evidence upon which a claim is built.Unfortunately, | | | | convention and can leave an audience confused |
| this great idea of using numbers to improve a | | | | on some level and disinterested on |
| presentation is often a recipe for a public speaking | | | | another.Additionally, numbers tend to translate |
| disaster. No matter how persuasive statistical | | | | better for us in visual terms. We read numbers, |
| facts may be to a researcher or to someone | | | | look at charts and graphs, and perform |
| reading up on a subject of interest, they tend to | | | | calculations with calculators and spreadsheets we |
| fall very flat on public speaking audiences. A | | | | can see. Numbers, for most people are a visual |
| speech riddled with numbers and statistics, no | | | | entity. They work for us visually--they can even |
| matter what they really prove and how | | | | inspire us when we discover them. However, |
| impressive the speaker originally found them, will | | | | from the aural point of view, numbers fall flat. |
| often be lost on even the most otherwise | | | | The mind translates numbers when we hear |
| interested audience.Why is it that facts and | | | | them, but not at the same rate or with the same |
| figures translate so poorly in public speaking? | | | | level of efficacy as it does when we see them. |
| There are few reasons.Initially, there is the issue | | | | Talking about numbers is like writing about music. |
| of expectations. Public speaking audiences expect | | | | |