Should you use statistics in your writing?

The good news about using statistics is that they sound authoritative. The bad news about statistics is that they often don't mean much to us, they state the obvious or you have to struggle to work out what they mean.

Lack of context
If you are told that 32 per cent of students failed accounting in 2005, you may be shocked by how many failed, but unless you know what percentage usually fail, this number is meaningless.

State the obvious
It's tempting to use statistics to back up our case. For example, to support the need for writing training, I could quote recent research stating the cost of poorly written communications:

• 85% say 'wasted time'
• 70% say ‘lost productivity'
• 63% say 'errors'.

Is that really telling you anything you didn't already know?

Hard to grasp the meaning
Sentences packed with statistics or numbers are often difficult to read and understand. For example, talking about loyalty, 52 per cent of Australians feel loyal to their bank; 49 per cent to their brand of tea or coffee; 48 per cent to their phone company; 36 per cent to their make of car; 32 per cent to their washing powder; and 20 per cent to their brand of petrol.

Interesting stats, but what are they telling us about loyalty?

Make numbers manageable
Yet statistics used well can have impact.

1. Make numbers human
Large numbers are difficult to comprehend — distill them so your audience can grasp them. For example, 'It is estimated that 425,000 Americans die prematurely every year due to tobacco. That's the equivalent to three fully loaded 747s crashing with no survivors every day, 365 days a year.'

2. Compare numbers to give them context
A person concerned about the cost of asbestos litigation for insurance companies in the US could argue that the California Northridge earthquake cost insurers $17 billion, Hurricane Andrew, $21 billion, September 11th, $43 billion and asbestos litigation, $130 billion.

You can also make comparisons without using numbers: For example, women in the United States buy more sports shoes and tyres than men.

3. Paint a picture
Paint a picture with words or use graphics, such as charts, illustrations and cartoons.

For example, 'Every year in the United States, some 2,000 women are killed by husbands, boyfriends and lovers. Take a moment and see the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC. It would take that entire wall and then some to list the names of all those American women killed as victims of domestic violence since that war ended. Not hurt or injured — killed'.

Or on a lighter note — it takes one hour's housework to work off one Tim Tam (chocolate biscuit).

4. Use a startling statistic
Look for a dramatic statistic that is unforgettable. For example: Every three hours a McDonald's opens somewhere in the world (from Tom Friedman's Lexus and the Olive Tree).

Reference: Rob Friedman, quoted in Patricia Fripp's e-newsletter (http://www.fripp.com/newsletter.html).

Further reading
If you enjoyed reading this article, you may also like to read:
Writing executive summaries
Editing and proofreading tips
Dealing with abbreviations
Writing endings
First, second and third person
Trouble getting started
Readability formulas
What is irony?
Writing recommendations
Writing quotations

You will find a lot more grammar tips at www.onlinegrammar.com.au, my grammar website.

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For more information, contact Mary on 61 2 9365 7711 or mary@themfactor.com.au