Daily Podcast #6

Source 🎧

189. Numbers Need Narrative: Use Data to Influence and Inspire
- Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Sentences ✍️

1. But you don’t want to use numbers in a way that numb your audience.
   • numb: not able to feel any emotions or to think clearly, because you are so shocked or frightened, etc.
   • New sentence: When I first heard the news, I was struck numb with disbelief.
2. And so the fundamental thing, and I think almost all your guests bring this up, is that you have to have the right answer, but the key is going to come down to understanding your audience.
   • come down: “to ultimately depend on” or “to be decided by.”
   • New sentence: This project is going to come down to me.
3. The curse of knowledge and the curse of passion, I would argue, loom large in any communication, but especially when you’re using data.
   • loom: to appear as a large, often frightening or unclear shape or object
   • New sentence: The wildfires loomed over the forest.
4. And I’ve cribbed this rule from Barbara Minto, who developed something called the Minto Pyramid, which is a way that I often teach about how to sort of visualize logical argument.
   • crib: to borrow or take inspiration from.
   • New sentence: I cribbed some tips from a LinkedIn post about improving communication skills.
5. I think the mantra we all should have in slide creation is less is more.
   • mantra: a guiding principle or a phrase that someone strongly believes in and often repeats to themselves or others.
   • New sentence: She lives by the mantra: ‘Work hard, stay humble.’

Summarization 👀

In this episode, Miro Kazakoff from MIT Sloan discusses how to use data effectively for persuasive communication. He emphasizes that while data may be objective, people are not—so understanding your audience’s decision-making process is essential. Rather than overwhelming people with numbers, communicators should present data clearly and visually, focusing on comparisons and simplicity. He warns against the “curse of knowledge,” where experts forget what it’s like to not understand something. To overcome this, it’s important to guide the audience through every element of a chart or slide. Kazakoff highlights that storytelling is powerful, but only when grounded in solid logic and accurate data. He stresses the importance of using empathy and curiosity to connect with the audience. Context should be timely and relevant, not overloaded at the beginning. His core advice: assume your audience sees things differently, know who they are, and structure your message clearly.