Public Speaking

Use Statistics Carefully (^99)
• Republican presidents over the last fifty years have lower average IQs than their
Democratic counterparts.^9 [Reality: Two campaign workers supporting a Republican’s
opponent created a list of presidential IQs as a joke. They framed it as a “scientific
study” and widely circulated it as factual on the Internet.]
• You should drink eight glasses of water a day.^10 [Reality: The origin of this number
is unclear. We should take in as much water as we lose, but that amount varies with
factors such as age, activity level, and climate. Food also contains water.]
With the current explosion of available information, especially in electronically
stored data, verifying facts is now more important than ever.

Think Critically about Facts

To avoid passing along misinformation, apply the following three tests:

1. Check for accuracy or validity. Are the facts actually true and verifiable? Has more
   than one reputable source reported on them? How were the facts derived?


2. Are the facts up-to-date? Perhaps something was true in the past, but do the same
   conditions hold today? Or have changes over time invalidated the data?


3. Consider the source. As Chapter 7 emphasized, use only material from reputable
   sources, and check for source bias that casts doubt on the data.
   In short, test facts by asking three questions: Is this true and verifiable? Is it timely?
   Who says so?

Use Statistics Carefully

In the United States, we measure and count from preschool on because we like numbers

and statistical information. In fact, we typically think of numbers and measurements as

“hard facts” that help us understand the extent of an issue or predict the probability of

some future happening. Consequently, numerical support used well can increase your

credibility and cause you to appear more competent and knowledgeable.

Although useful, numerical data have unique drawbacks. In general, statistics don’t

tap into emotions, and too many can bore your audience. In fact, good speakers typically

balance statistics with examples to both clarify and personalize a topic. Finally, numerical

information is often misleading, and if listeners think you are twisting numbers, they

will distrust you. So take care to use numerical data both accurately and sparingly.

Provide a Count

Enumeration means counting. A count helps your listeners understand the extent

of a problem or issue such as the number of prisoners who have mental health issues

in federal prisons (78,800), in state prisons (705,600) and in local jails (479,900),^11

the number of miles of US bridges that are obsolete or structurally deficient (about

70,000),^12 and so on. Two tips will help you use enumeration more effectively.

1. Round your numbers up or down. It can be difficult to remember exact numbers;
   furthermore, numbers related to people’s behaviors can change rapidly. By the time
   they’re published, they may be outdated. Consequently, Twitter won’t say “We have
   654,753,221 active registered users” because 135,000 sign up daily, so a figure from
   one week could be outdated by over half a million the next (if the signups continue
   at a similar rate).^13

enumeration a count

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