Presenting and communicating statistics on quality of life: principles, components and their quality assessment. A proposal

Presenting and communicating statistics:

Presenting and communicating statistics:

principles, components, and their quality

principles, components, and their quality

assessment.

assessment.

A

A proposalproposal

Filomena Maggino & Marco Trapani Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy

1. Communication: integral component of statistical work

2. Communicating statistics

3. Assessing statistical communication

Contents

1. Communication: integral component of statistical work

2. Communicating statistics

3. Assessing statistical communication

Contents

VAS= N*[(QSA*MF)*RS*TS*NL]



Giovannini, 2008

This detailed formula, including many relevant aspects like the role of media and users’ numeracy, can be reconsidered by including also

aspects concerning “quality” e “incisiveness” of the message: VAS = ƒƒƒƒ ( N,QSA,MF,RS,TS,NL,QIP)



additional component

VAS Value added of official statistics

N Size of the audience

QSA Statistical information produced

MF Role of media

RS Relevance of the statistical information

TS Trust in official statistics

NL Users’ “numeracy”

QIP Quality and incisiveness of presentation

Communication CommunicationCommunication

Communication in in in in statisticsstatisticsstatisticsstatistics: : : : From

From From

From DATADATADATA toDATA tototo MESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGE

message information



PRESENTATION

















1. Communication: integral component of statistical work

2. Communicating statistics

3. Assessing statistical communication

Contents

1. 1.1.

1. Fundamental aspectsFundamental aspectsFundamental aspectsFundamental aspects

 Theory of presentation Rhetoric Persuasion Aesthetics Appeal Ethics Content Corresponding discipline Aspects of statistical presentations

2. 2. 2.

2. Main componentsMain componentsMain componentsMain components

T

T

T

T

R

R

R

R

in statistical communication in statistical communicationin statistical communication in statistical communication

A. A.A.

A. OutlineOutlineOutline<sub>Outline


telling statistics</sub>
telling statisticstelling statisticstelling statistics B.

B.B.

B. toolstoolstoolstools

_{Depicting statistics}

Depicting statisticsDepicting statisticsDepicting statistics C.

C.C.

C. clothsclothscloths<sub>cloths


Dressing statistics</sub>
Dressing statisticsDressing statisticsDressing statistics 3.

3. 3.

I N V E N T I O D I S P O S I T I O E L O C U T I O A C T I O 3a. 3a. 3a.

3a. Outline _Outline
Outline Outline


_{telling statistics}telling statisticstelling statisticstelling statistics

START START START START

1-

Inventio

Inventio

Inventio

Inventio

•Who

_{the subject of telling}

•What

_{the fact}

•When

_{the time location}

•Where

_{the field location}

•Why

_{the causes}

3a. 3a. 3a.

2-

Dispositio

Dispositio

Dispositio

Dispositio

Case / specific situation

Reflection

Concepts

Consequences / other cases

Inductive approach

Once upon a time…

Why something changed

Yesterday… Today…

Tomorrow

Time progression approach

Meaningful questions

Why in important to talk about…

Solutions (and concepts)

Conclusions and consequences

Problems approach Subject Advantages-disadvantages approach Disadvantages Advantage Point to be evaluated Subject

From point of view approach Po nt_of view 1 … va_lue s … de fects Pont of v iew 4 …va lues …de fect s Po nt of v_iew 3 … va lues … de_fec ts Pont of v iew 2 …va lues …de fect s Top-down approach

General Reflections Concepts Consequences…

Particular Reflections Concepts Consequences…

Specific Reflections Concepts Consequences…

Detail Reflections Concepts Consequences…

Micro Reflections Concepts Consequences…

Premise Reflections Concepts Consequences…

3a. 3a. 3a.

3-

Elocutio

Elocutio

Elocutio

Elocutio

phonic effects

Rhythm

change in words’ order inside a sentence

Construction

choice of the most suitable or convenient words

Elocution

change in words’ shape

Diction

change in words’ meaning

Meaning (or tropes)

change in words’ or propositions’ invention and imaginative shape

Thinking

Definition Figures of

3a. 3a. 3a.

4-

Actio

Actio

Actio

Actio

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

3a. 3a. 3a.

functions functions functions functions

Supporting motivation

Supporting transfer of learning Building mental models

Minimizing cognitive load

Activating and building prior knowledge Supporting attention

3b. 3b. 3b.

Perception Perception Perception

Perception ofofofof statistical Graphstatistical Graphstatistical Graphstatistical Graph

Recognizing the code Recognizing regularities

Carrying out comparisions and identify differences

3b. 3b. 3b.

Graph Principles Graph Principles Graph Principles Graph Principles Capacity limitations Information changes Compatibility Presentation should be easy to follow, digest, and remember. Promote understanding and memory Perceptual organization Discriminability Salience

Presentation should lead the audience to pay

attention to what is important.

Direct and hold attention

Appropriate knowledge Relevance

Message should connect with the goals and

interests of your audience. Connect with the audience Principles Categories 3b. 3b. 3b.

(i) (i) (i)

(i) ChoosingChoosingChoosingChoosing a a a graph a graph graph …graph ………

… by taking into account

• number of involved variables

• nature of data (level of measurement) • statistical information to be represented

… by preferring

• a simple graph with reference to the audience • a clear graph instead of an attractive one

• a correct graph with reference to data

3b. 3b. 3b.

((((iiiiiiii) ) ) ) PreparingPreparingPreparingPreparing aaaa graphgraphgraphgraph

few elements as possible. Wise use of legends and captions

Legibility

dynamic perspective should reflect a dynamic phenomenon

Dynamics presentation

rounding up and down through standard criteria

Rounding off values

using colours consistently with statistical information

Colours as

statistical codes

reducing dimensionality as much as

possible by showing few variables for each graph using no meaningless axis

Dimensionality

correctly defining and showing scale/s Scale definition

3b. 3b. 3b.

Different aspects:

Text arrangement

Characters and fonts

Colours

Other aspect

With reference to:

Balance Harmony Proportion Elegance Style 3c. 3c. 3c.

1. Communication: integral component of statistical work

2. Communicating statistics

3. Assessing statistical communication

Contents

aspects allowing the assessing aspects allowing the assessing aspects allowing the assessing aspects allowing the assessing

1.1 the 1.1 the 1.1 the

1.1 the dimensions to evaluatedimensions to evaluatedimensions to evaluatedimensions to evaluate 1.2

1.2 1.2

1.2 the evaluating criteriathe evaluating criteriathe evaluating criteriathe evaluating criteria 1.3 the components of the 1.3 the components of the 1.3 the components of the 1.3 the components of the

transmission process transmission process transmission process transmission process 1. 1.1.

1.1 the dimensions to evaluate 1.1 the dimensions to evaluate 1.1 the dimensions to evaluate 1.1 the dimensions to evaluate

(i)

(i)

(i)

(i)

Outline

Outline

Outline

Outline

(ii)

(ii)

(ii)

(ii)

Tools

Tools

Tools

Tools

(iii)

(iii)

(iii)

(iii) Cloths

Cloths

Cloths

Cloths

1. 1.1.

1.2 the evaluating criteria 1.2 the evaluating criteria1.2 the evaluating criteria 1.2 the evaluating criteria

(A) (A) (A)

(A) Suitability / consistencySuitability / consistencySuitability / consistencySuitability / consistency (B)

(B) (B)

(B) CorrectnessCorrectnessCorrectnessCorrectness (C)

(C) (C)

(C) ClarityClarityClarityClarity 1.

1.1.

1.3 the components of the 1.3 the components of the 1.3 the components of the 1.3 the components of the

transmission process transmission process transmission process transmission process • receiver / audiencereceiver / audiencereceiver / audiencereceiver / audience

• available channelavailable channelavailable channelavailable channel

• available context / settingavailable context / settingavailable context / settingavailable context / setting • MessageMessageMessageMessage’’’’s Contentss Contentss Contentss Contents

1. 1.1.

- occasions (seminars, conferences, meetings, press conferences, …)

- settings (rooms, tables, …)

(iii)

Context

- auditory channel

(“listening”, requiring oral explanation)

- visual channel

(“looking”, requiring explicative slides)

- kinetic channel

(“doing”, requiring practical exercises)

(ii)

Channel

- experts

- politicians and policy makers - students

- statistical data users - not specialized

(i)

Audience

1. 1.1.

-Other effects -Colours -Characters (fonts) -Text arrangement 3. CLOTHS Pictograms Graphs Tables 2. TOOLS 1.4 Execution 1.3 Expression 1.2 Layout 1.1 Invention 1. OUTLINE (iii) context (ii) channel (i) audience (iii) context (ii) channel (i) audience (iii) context (ii) channel (i) audience with reference to (C) CLARITY (B) CORRECTNESS (A) SUITABILITY 1.2 EVALUATING CRITERIA ASSESSMENT TABLE 1 .1 D im e n s io n s t o e v a lu a te T ra n s m it te r’ s c o d e 1. 1.1.

2. Need of 2. Need of 2. Need of

2. Need of standarded standarded standarded standarded codescodescodescodes

of data structure.

understanding

by avoiding any kind of “adaptability” of codes to “subjective” messages,

generalization

in preparing presentation,

economicity

and efficiency

between different presentations and along time,

comparability

of data presentation, by avoiding introduction of any subjective component

objectivity

Developing and adopting standardized codes allow transmitters to warrant:

Communication of statistics needs to be assessed through standardized methods and techniques in order to improve its impact

1. Communication: integral component of statistical work

2. Communicating statistics

3. Assessing statistical communication

Contents

The way The way The way

The way forwardforwardforward …forward ………

Emphasizing communicative aspects does not aim at exasperating the importance of

communication with respect to the rest of statistical activities.

ICT societies increasingly require statistical information.

In order to attribute more value to statistics and to increase impact of statistics on reality, two processes need to be assessed:

 data production and analysis  communication

The presented work summarizes the first stage of our study, aimed at defining the framework for quality

assessment of communication in statistics.

The goal is to define the assessment technology by discussing with all the

willing colleagues.

The way The way The way

The way The way The way

The way forwardforwardforward …forward ………