How do you explain statistics to non-technical people?

My formal education is in mass communication - knowing one's audience is key to developing a communication strategy so that technical language or jargon is more easily conveyed to a general audience.

Explaining statistics to non-technical individuals involves tailoring your approach to their understanding and needs. This begins with an initial meeting to gauge their familiarity with statistical concepts. An intake form can facilitate structured dialogue and give direction to the conversation. To simplify complex statistical terms, use relatable examples relevant to their problem or issue. Furthermore, analogies and visual aids like graphs can make data analysis more digestible. It's about bridging the gap between complex mathematical theory and practical application.

Always remember: the statistics themselves are important to YOU, because you used them to generate your opinions and assessments. The statistics themselves are NOT usually important to your audience. They will most likely be more interested in what the statistics mean - especially what the statistics mean to their interests and goals - then use the data you need to support it. We used to half-jokingly say, "the audience doesn't care how you make the sausage - in fact, they'd usually prefer NOT to know how you make the sausage. Just feed them the tasty, cooked results of your sausage-making skills."

In my experience of last 3 decades of delivering high value high impact consulting and coaching services of transforming MSMEs in India and Middle East only after understanding the pain and problems of almost all my clients. I would like to share my recent case study of helping a small enterprise in FMCG sector that after conducting a brief diagnostic audit, client was so convinced with the recommendations that we got the highest consulting project as a company. We follow DTE approach (diagnostic, treatment and nursing) stays universal approach in the consulting space.

Whether clients or students, meet them where they're at. Also, never underestimate the power of drawing things out on paper or a whiteboard. Visualizing things alleviates the burden on working memory.

Don't fall into the "curse of knowledge/expertise." Our topic often forms a large part of our world, and we often fall into the trap of thinking our topic is our audience's world, too. It's not. They'll usually understand your topic, but only if you convey it in terms they can understand, too. Use clear, easily digestible, universally-understood language, and remember your Quintilianus: "we should not write so that it is possible for the reader to understand us, but so that it is impossible for him to misunderstand us."

To enhance understanding of statistics, contextualize results, linking them to real-world impacts. Utilize visual aids such as graphs and charts; they effectively represent data trends and relationships. Encourage questions and reiterate key points, using consistent examples for clarity. The goal isn't to make them statisticians, but to help them comprehend data's relevance to their decisions.

Show, not just tell. Use a motivating example that shows a statistic’s real-life implications and why they're relevant to the audience. Using simple language does not equate imprecision. Provide a job aid of technical terms so that non-technical people can ask the right questions, gather more information on their own, and add credibility when they incorporate statistics in their own presentations.

Simplification is the ultimate sophistication, said Leonardo Da Vinci. The simple language means, do not use technical words or phrases. Instead, use daily conversation sentences. If we have to use numbers, then convert it to 10 or 100, so the audience would grasp the idea easily.

Storytelling is the key here. The easiest thing is to write many words. It's much harder to use just a few words and get a bigger impact, but please try. Think what would have helped you as an audience if you were in their shoes and simplify it. And again. Until it is spot on.

Know your audience. This is very important and bears repeating plus can save you and your team a lot of time. I believe uncomplicated visual data helps tell the numeric story. Another great tool is telling the story with comparative data. For example, last year’s correlation was .2 then we changed our plan design by x and the correlation is now .9. This can prove that a design is working. You can use a trend - line chart over time showing the correlation if your audience does not need to see a standard deviation graph.

Every chart has a purpose, so make sure you understand it and match your data with the right kind of chart. I can't remember how many times clients sent me Excel sheets and presentations with charts that didn't support their point at all or didn't make any sense. Also, please look for visual inspiration online. Turning your charts into 3D and keeping the grid is so 1990s. You can always create innovative charts with lines, objects, icons, or pictures. Just try being creative, use real-life analogies, and turn them into visuals.

Make it simple, develop the big idea (the conceptual data) clean & clear, to the point. Structured narrative should tell the why, show the how, and sell the what.

A picture is worth of thousands words. It is true. One graphical data is enough for the audience to comprehend a lot of data, the pattern, and or trend of issues discussed. But, we should not choose random graph to visualize our information. Each type of graph has different purposes. Pie charts and bar graphs have different use and purpose.

In my experience of last 3 decades, I have always used visuals in my presentation especially when I have to demonstrate gaps diagnosed. It makes target audience realise the gaps in visuals more impactful and they start relating it to their business or business processes. For example, when we ask our client to rate questions on a scale of 1-5 to know their preparedness and we show the statistical anaylisis compared to other criteria, it becomes more value adding for the client to take immediate action. I agree with the quality of presentation in visuals but it makes more sense if the presentation must touch the emotional cord of audience for them to have a realisation for quick action.

I find that poker, football betting, horse racing, and shows like the Bachelor are good aids to use since they are real life. Find something the audience can really relate to.

Storytelling is the best example of real-world relations. Use the story which relates to the audience in their daily life. They would be easier to comprehend something that they know in daily basis. One we should consider, is if the audience is so heterogenous, we should find the story that all people know.

Conducting market research of any kind and demonstrating data to present global numbers makes audience understand the context much better than any other data. For example, global data about competitors analysis help companies to innovate and take leadership in its category of business. Stories, data and scenarios in a particular context help businesses to identify customer segments, channels and customer relationship strategies and tactics to deliver value to solve problems in the world.

Es fundamental usar este recurso de hacer ejemplos que estén relacionados y que la audiencia pueda indetificarse, tanto por su cultura, costumbres o casos de su vida diaria. En mi opnión los ejemplos reales del contexto de los estudiantes es un recurso que puede asegurar el éxito en la explicación de la estadística a personas no técnicas en la materia.

When explaining statistics to non-technical people, use simple language, relatable examples, and visuals like graphs and charts. Define statistics as a method to analyze data and make informed decisions. Introduce common terms like mean and median using real-life scenarios. Emphasize the practical applications of statistics in various fields. Avoid overwhelming with math and focus on data insights. Encourage questions and provide answers in a non-technical manner. Be patient and empathetic, making statistics more approachable and comprehensible to non-technical audiences.

Constant feedback from target customer or target audience is the key to refine products and services to offer. Most of the problems emanate from misunderstanding of the issues which crop from absence of understanding between two parties.

This is really a step you need to repeat all the way through your presentation or meeting. Spouting numbers and showing charts isn't really the reason you are there. They help drive the point home, but you have to make sure they are making the impact you spent time analyzing. Do this again and again with the audience. The smarter they are, the more likely they are to have false perception and you need to reach out and engage them by asking them questions about what you told them - not just 'do you understand so far?'

Es muy importante saber cuánto no han entendido una explicación sobre la temática abordada. Las preguntas, establecer una sección de conclusiones principales, establecer un micro resumen de lo visto al final de unsa sesión puede ayudar al docente a verificar si hubo o no hubo comprensión.

Continuing to learn new statistical ideas on your own is also important because it reminds you what it is like to be exposed to unfamiliar technical concepts. It can be easy to forget that feeling when you work in the field for a long time or interact frequently with other statistics experts. By making sure you regularly experience a similar kind of uncertainty about new concepts as your non-technical audience, you can have a better sense of what your audience will be feeling and thinking as they listen to you. This can serve as a restraint on falling back into the habit of using technical lingo when explaining statistical ideas and evidence.

Verify your audience’s understanding. Routinely when complex information is shared with group someone (or many) in the audience may not fully understand the details but, they are too shy to state this in an audience. This can readily be remedied - and the depth of the audience’s understanding can be verified, by asking audience members to form small groups and develop a scenario that employs the details of the complex issues that have been shared with them. Then ask for a volunteer from each group to present their scenario to the audience. While this may not be practical in large audiences, and it does take up time, it will however ensure that the complex details are fully understood and can quickly and more appropriately be applied.