So You Think You’re Not A Numbers Person
Understanding numbers is essential, but until recently, we never really thought about how important understanding numbers were. Think you’re not a numbers person? Well, think again.
There are many comparisons people make about numbers that are ludicrous. Such as, dollars stacked to the Washington Monument, or how many dollar bills would it take to wrap around the world? We even referred to numbers from 6 to infinity as “lots”. Instead, we should be thinking about a human scale to help people understand numbers and what they mean. If we can tell the story of numbers, then we can make sense of numbers, making those AHA moments that cause people to care and emotionally connect.
So how can we communicate and/or help others understand numbers? New York Best-Selling Author Chip Heath’s latest book, “Making Numbers Count,” is a must-read for K-12 teachers to understand why numbers matter and provide ideas on how to better help their students understand numbers. In his new book, Chip Heath outlines specific examples around numbers and presents them in a way that clicks, making people say, “Wow, now I get it”. He uses specific principles such as 1) “Simple Perspective Cues”, by adding a simple comparison sentence doubled how users estimated statistics, 2) “Vividness” to help give perspective, 3) “Convert to Process” giving a sense of time, and 4) “Emotional Measuring Sticks” by framing the number in a way that people already care about.
Chip Heath’s book “Making Numbers Count” is a must-read for every educator. To request your copy, you can send an email to info@stemleadershipalliance.org or complete the online request form HERE.