Data Does Not Speak for Itself

In fact, data does not speak at all.

We are in a world where data is king. How frequently do you hear where’s the data? What does the data say? How can we leverage the data? The need for data is pervasive and can be found across all types of businesses, and yet data does not doanything. It is a representation of how things were at a certain point in time. One data point is just that, one data point from one time in the past. A data trend may seem more valuable, but it is just a string of data points over time.

Is a trend upwards good? Maybe. A trend up in revenue could be good, unless it is combined with a larger upward trend in expenses. How about a downward trend? An downward trend in energy use could be good, unless it includes an increase in fuel use. Even data insights could be misleading without context.

Consider the famous story of World War 2 scientists studying bullet holes in planes returning from combat. Their work can be seen in this post's photo.

Data cannot tell us anything, without the story behind it which highlights the why. The scientists assumed they should reinforce the areas where planes get hit to ensure they don’t go down. Until, one statistician highlighted that they’re only looking at planes which returned. This is called survivorship bias and represents a logical fallacy. His insight saved many aircraft over the course of the war. The statisticians name was Abraham Wald and you can read more about this story here:

Statistician Abraham Wald's Counterintuitive Insight Saved Lives | War History Online

For our purposes, the engineers looking at these same data points came up with the wrong conclusions. It was only after Wald provided a story which highlighted the fallacy. Remember this for your data. If you want to use the data to persuade, you must infuse it into a story.

Think about what makes the data move when you are bringing in the story. How has someone’s efforts changed the trajectory of the data? What can we predict from the data? What actions can be taken to change a trend? Data can only be convincing if it is tied to human activities. Use this tip for your next presentation or pitch and you’ll see your audience better connect with your message!

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