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How do liars manipulate statistics to make them more favorable? How can hard numbers possibly be skewed? Manipulating statistics isn’t as difficult as one may think. Although statistics are hard numbers and lying about them isn’t legal, that doesn’t mean they can’t be skewed or framed in a way to make the presenter look better. Keep reading for the top eight ways that statistics are manipulated.
How can you get accurate statics if you can’t possibly count every entity of a population? What criteria make a good sample? It is true that the only way to get a 100% accurate sample is to count every single entity, but that’s just impossible. That’s why statisticians use samples to represent a population. There are certain criteria that must be met to ensure that your sample is as accurate as possible. Keep reading to learn more about how good sampling leads to accurate statistics.
How can people manipulate graphs to change how you perceive them? What are the six most common forms of image manipulation? It is possible for someone with an agenda to manipulate an image (whether that be a graph, a map, or a photo) to control the message you take away from them. You’d be surprised how often this happens in business and advertising. Keep reading to learn how manipulated graphs can support an agenda.
How do companies get away with misleading customers into buying their products? How can statistics be manipulated for deceptive advertising? If a company can’t find a statistic that makes them look good, then they resort to plan B: deceptive marketing. The top two methods for this are to either focus on semi-related figures or to attribute correlation to causation. Learn more about these deceptive advertising techniques below.
What are the five questions you should ask yourself when looking at statistics? How can you tell when a statistic is being manipulated? It is important to perform a statistical evaluation before you trust any statistic you’re given. Many statistics are manipulated to fulfill an agenda but even manipulated statistics can provide you with valuable information. Continue on to learn how to perform a statistical evaluation.
How do you get a good statistical sample? How do some people manipulate their sample selection to mislead others? In How to Lie With Statistics, Darrell Huff explains the criteria for getting a good statistical sample size. Good sampling in statistics is important because bad sampling can lead to unintentional (or intentional) bias and misleading numbers. Keep reading to learn how to get a good sample and avoid bad sampling.
What can you learn from the How to Lie With Statistics book? What are the ten techniques that liars use to manipulate statistics? How can you assess if a statistic is reliable? In his book How to Lie With Statistics, Darrell Huff explains how people (advertisers, companies, anyone with an agenda) can manipulate numbers to yield statistics that support their cause. Since these people aren’t actually lying, it isn’t considered illegal. Huff teaches you what to look out for and how to see through liars. Continue on for more on How to Lie With Statistics.
Do you want to further your understanding of How to Lie With Statistics? Are you looking for practice questions to help you evaluate statistics? In Darrell Huff’s book, he explains how people with an agenda can manipulate statistics in their favor. We’ve put together some practice exercises to help you evaluate statistics better with Huff’s methods. Keep reading for How to Lie With Statistics practice questions.
What is a business scorecard? How can creating a business scorecard help you monitor performance and stay on track towards your business objectives? A business scorecard offers organizations a snapshot of their current performance as benchmarked against their goals. Most companies rely instead on a P&L statement, but by the time you get it, problems have already occurred. With the business scorecard, you can see where you are and, if necessary, change where you’re headed. Here is how to create your business scorecard in five simple steps.
What is the Pareto Principle? How can focusing on the “vital few” instead of the “trivial many” help you increase productivity? The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, states that as little as 20% of your tasks and effort will account for 80% of your results. Before you start a task, ask whether it’s a top 20% task or bottom 80% task; only do it if it’s high-value. Keep reading for advice on how to implement the Pareto Principle in your own life.