Significant  statistics engage and enlighten your audience. The key to freeing your numbers and your audience from a jail cell of boredom is finding and sharing the story within the statistic.  Your numbers are more interesting when you present them in human terms,  put them in perspective and share them sparingly.

Numbers are infinite, your audience’s attention span is not. Facts are fascinating in small sets and are often jumbled
and confused when stated en mass.  Citing fact after fact, and number after number, is difficult to follow and impossible to remember.  Do your audience a favor, and limit the amount and kind of statistics you use to support your message.  If you are describing ratios, don’t switch from fractions to percentages (half vs. 50%).  Choose a few statistics that relate to and reinforce each other. When the quality of your numbers are high you don’t have to over compensate with a  quantity of data.

Quality numbers come from your analysis.  Your audience’s comprehension depends on offering a precise perspective.  Stating that people in prison have below average IQ’s  maybe statistically accurate; however, does it mean that criminals are
dumb or that only the dumb criminals are in prison?   Putting the stats in perspective can be further enhanced by doing the math to make your point clear (i.e. Our 50% market share means we have 284,000 prisoners, er… customers.)

Whether you use your fingers and toes, a calculator, or you are a mathematical savant,  putting a human face to your calculations helps your audience to understand your numbers.   Saying a room is 786 square feet is harder to imagine than a  prison cell.    So whether you look up, or make up your statistics, be sure to share the story behind your numbers, because when you do, you can count on an appreciative audience 98% of the time.