Communicating EMSC Data Information Effectively: Its More Than About Numbers

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Communicating EMSC Data Information Effectively
Its More Than About Numbers

• Cindy Wilmshurst, MA, MPH
• Lisa Hyde, MPA
• National EMSC Data Analysis Resource Center

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Importance of Communicating EMSC Data Information

• The need to communicate EMSC information,
  specifically informational data, is significant
  for
• EMSC decision makers
• EMS providers
• Legislators
• Local, state national
• agencies

• Media
• Program justification
• Public
• Research and evaluation

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Potential Problems with Reporting

• Some EMSC announcements, reports, and studies
  generate substantial attention yet,
• others receive little notice and even less
  response. WHY?
• Information is not shown to be important or
  newsworthy
• General message is ambiguous
• Methodology is confusing
• Data are too complex or look unreliable

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Prerequisites for Communicating EMSC Data
Information
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Effective EMSCCommunication Requires

• Step 1 Identifying your Audience
• Step 2 Ensuring Readability
• Step 3 Explaining your Methods and Results
• Step 4 Accurate Statistical Analysis
• Step 5 Intuitive Charts, Graphs, Tables, etc.
• Step 6 Concluding Effectively

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Communication Objectives are Applicable to EMSC

• Reports
• Presentations
• Web pages
• Fact sheets
• Published research

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So I just dumb it down, Right?
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So I just dumb it down, Right?

• Not an easy task
• Takes work to convey information succinctly and
  effectively
• Understanding how to communicate your data
  information effectively will make a difference!

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Communicating Effectively

• Step 1 Identifying your Audience
• Step 2 Ensuring Readability
• Step 3 Explaining your Methods and Results
• Step 4 Accurate Statistical Analysis
• Step 5 Intuitive Charts, Graphs, Tables, etc.
• Step 6 Concluding Effectively

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Identify Your Audience

• Administrators (EMS, hospital, public health)
• Agencies (funding, local non-profit, state,
  national)
• Educators
• EMSC Personnel (MDs, RNs, EMTs)

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Identify Your Audience

• Law enforcement
• Legislators
• Media
• Peer-reviewed journals
• Public
• Researchers

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Scientific versusNon-Scientific Audiences

• Scientific Audience
• Follows standard format
• Focuses on methods and data analysis
• Emphasizes specific outcomes
• Addresses limitations and uncertainties

• Non-Scientific Audience
• Focuses on message rather than on format
• Simplifies methods, results, and data analysis
• Summarizes by advising a course of action
• De-emphasizes limitations and uncertainties

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When Communicating to Non-Scientific Audiences

• Remember first impressions--ensure the document
  looks and is readable
• Facilitate comprehension of methods and results
• Perform accurate statistical analysis and
  communicate in basic language

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When Communicating to Non-Scientific Audiences

• Create intuitive charts, graphs and tables
• Reemphasize what the data mean when summarizing
  and making recommendations

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Communicating Effectively

• Step 1 Identifying your Audience
• Step 2 Ensuring Readability
• Step 3 Explaining your Methods and Results
• Step 4 Accurate Statistical Analysis
• Step 5 Intuitive Charts, Graphs, Tables, etc.
• Step 6 Concluding Effectively

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What Readers Look for First

• Is the title interesting?
• Who is the author(s)?
• Does it have a summary or abstract?
• Is it professional looking and readable?

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Is the Title Interesting?

• Always give your document a clear, descriptive
  title that can be referred to by others
• Preferably, a catchy, memorable name combined
  with a descriptive subtitle
• Should capture the primary take-home message you
  want people to associate with your data
• Good Wisconsin Driver Fatality Report
• Better Fatal Distraction? A Comparison of
  the Cell Phone Driver and the Drunk Driver

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Who is the InformationComing From?

• Readers want to know if they can trust the
  institution
• Be sure to include your organization name, logos,
  and contact info
• List the author(s) names, positions, degree(s)

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Is There a Summary or Abstract?

• Include a data highlights, executive summary or
  abstract at the beginning
• Most end-users of your data will never read the
  entire report

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Does it Look Readable?

• Lots of text on each page? Complex data tables?
• BAD

• Lots of white space, contrast, color, pictures,
  and charts?
• GOOD

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Readability

• Keep sentences and paragraphs as short as
  possible for non-scientific audiences
• Sentences to fewer than 20 words
• Paragraphs to no more than 4 short sentences
• Dont make people read all the way across the
  page
• 3-4 inches is ideal

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Undifferentiated Text is Daunting

• Use different-sized fonts, bold, and italics to
  emphasize sections
• Use pull quotes, headlines, subheads, and
  sidebars for variety
• Helps break up the text and magnify the key
  points you want readers to remember
• Most important be consistent

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Document Design and Layout
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Color and Shading

• Color and shading can be used to provide
  professional-looking contrast
• Use carefully Too much color looks juvenile and
  unprofessional
• If materials are likely to be photocopied, use
  gradations of black and white

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Other Readability Tips

• Dont overestimate your audiences knowledge
• Avoid technical jargon and overly technical
  language
• Use consistent key words throughout the document
• Example vehicle vs car
• Example fever vs febrile

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Communicating Effectively

• Step 1 Identifying your Audience
• Step 2 Ensuring Readability
• Step 3 Explaining your Methods and Results
• Step 4 Accurate Statistical Analysis
• Step 5 Intuitive Charts, Graphs, Tables, etc.
• Step 6 Concluding Effectively

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Describing Methodology

• Explain it very simply and briefly
• Non-scientific audiences dont want to know that
  much about study methodology
• They will respect your position of authority and
  assume the information is credible
• Complex methodology may be confusing
• Use appendices for more details
• Use footnotes for explanations

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Planning your Results Section

• Data communicators believe
• that their audience shares a sincere interest in
  the data information
• AND OFTEN THINK
• that more data will help justify the approach,
  results, or conclusions
• HOWEVER . . .

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Data Caveat

• 1 Mistake of communicating data information is

DATA OVERLOAD
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You Need to Provide Data and Information That

• Shows the magnitude of the problem
• Provides context
• Provides meaning
• Is interesting or noteworthy
• Suggests an action

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Shows Magnitude of the Problem

• How big of a problem is this?
• More than 10,000 children die each year because
  of . . .
• How does the problem compare with other problems?
• More children die of injuries than all the
  diseases combined.

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Provides Context for the Problem

• How do the data compare with data elsewhere?
• How do they compare with other groups of people
  (age, sex, race/ethnicity)?
• Is the problem getting better, worse, or staying
  the same over time is there a trend?

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Provides Meaning to the Problem

• Why should we care?
• Children are suffering needlessly
• spent, wasted, or could be saved
• Impact on quality of care, time, or efficiency
• Is the problem preventable?
• Is the audience accountable for addressing the
  problem?
• Is the audience, their friends or family at risk?

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Is Interesting or Noteworthy

• Hot, controversial issues
• Surprising, counter-intuitive or against
  expectation
• Significant rises or falls from the previous year
  
• Unusual trends in your region compared to other
  regions

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Suggests an Action

• As a result of these findings, what needs to be
  done?
• Who needs to carry out the action?
• When should the action be done?

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Lastly, Remember . . . Less is More

• Avoid data overload
• Most people can comprehend only a few key pieces
  of information
• Only provide what is absolutely necessary
• People generally want less than you think

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Communicating Effectively

• Step 1 Identifying your Audience
• Step 2 Ensuring Readability
• Step 3 Explaining your Methods and Results
• Step 4 Accurate Statistical Analysis
• Step 5 Intuitive Charts, Graphs, Tables, etc.
• Step 6 Concluding Effectively

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Why did the statistician become a statistician?
. . . . He found accounting too exciting.
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Statistics

• Whether you have done the statistics yourself,
  used a statistician or compiled them from
  different sources . . . it is how you present
  your statistics that will make the difference!

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Statistics

• Statistical terminology should be avoided when
  there are simpler ways to explain results
• Most people have low math literacy, even highly
  educated persons

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Terms to Avoid

• The phrase statistically significant is rarely
  meaningful to non-scientists
• Consider saying more or less likely
• If possible, avoid using the terms
• p-value
• 95 confidence limits
• correlation coefficient
• regression analysis
• chi square

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Statistics that are Effective

• Keep your statistics basic and easy to
  understand. Use . . .
• Numbers/counts
• Rankings
• Percents
• Averages

• Odds ratios
• Rates
• Simple relationships

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Turn Numbers into Words

• Instead of presenting a relative risk as 2.0
• Say, Smoking cigarettes doubles the risk of
  dying from a heart attack.

• Instead of saying, 25 of children do not wear
  seatbelts.
• Say, One out of every four children does not
  wear a seatbelt.

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Ethics

• You are perceived as an expert on your data by
  non-scientific audiences
• Important to be ethical, which is to be careful,
  honest, and accurate
• Always have others examine your statistics!
• Never skew data to make it look better
• Resist the temptation to over-interpret or
  over-generalize findings
• Remain unbiased in your language

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Communicating Effectively

• Step 1 Identifying your Audience
• Step 2 Ensuring Readability
• Step 3 Explaining your Methods and Results
• Step 4 Accurate Statistical Analysis
• Step 5 Intuitive Charts, Graphs, Tables, etc.
• Step 6 Concluding Effectively

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Useful Graphics for Non-Scientific Audiences

• Pie charts
• Bar charts
• Line graphs

• Tables
• Pictures
• Maps

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Charts

• Wonderful for illustrating data clearly
• Good for highlighting the data you want to
  emphasize
• Useful with break-up of text

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Pie Charts
Major Causes of Death

• Good for highlighting either the largest or the
  smallest piece
• No more than six slices
• Largest piece starting at 1200
• Slices should be displayed clockwise in
  descending order

6 Poisoning
12 Falls
22 Drowning
60 Car crash
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Bar Charts
Major Causes of Death

• Most versatile means for displaying data
• Often used to visually show magnitude of numbers
  and compare groups
• Most effective if they contain only a few bars
• Avoid stacked bar charts

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Line Graphs
Number of Crashes and Drownings by Year

• Effective for sequential time, age groups, etc.
• Time is generally shown on the x-axis, and
  numbers are on y-axis, with plotted points
  connected
• Avoid the clutter of too many data lines (lt4) or
  poor labeling

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Tables

• Least preferred method necessary to decode
• Best choice when the goal is to stress a few
  specific pieces of info
• Should contain the minimum number of elements
  needed
• Should contain few if any lines

Major Causes of Death
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Pictures

• Include photographs, diagrams, clip art,
  drawings, and video
• Attract attention, illustrate ideas, evoke
  emotion, and add realism to your subject
• Pictures should support the message, not detract
  from it

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Maps

• Best method for showing geographic clustering
• Can demonstrate local, county, state, national,
  or international variations
• Make good use of shading
• Minimize clutter on the map

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General Chart Tips

• Charts should be able to stand alone
• Include appropriate titles and labels
• Use solid fill patterns wherever possible
• Darker chart colors usually represent
  significantly higher risks, rates, or numbers
• Avoid using 3D Charts
• Makes all the bars or pie slices stand out too
  much and diminishes the data presentation

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PowerPoints Default Chart Settings
Major Causes of Death
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Current Chart Conventions
Major Causes of Death
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Informational Bullets

• Help the reader understand the significance of
  the data theyre looking at
• May include additional data that help put the
  chart in context
• Be sure to stick with the facts

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Examples of Explanatory Bullets
Number of Crashes and Drownings by Year

• The number of car crashes has decreased by X
  since 1998, whereas the number of drownings has
  increased by Y
• The increase in drownings may be due to increases
  in flooding during recent years

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Communicating Effectively

• Step 1 Identifying your Audience
• Step 2 Ensuring Readability
• Step 3 Explaining your Methods and Results
• Step 4 Accurate Statistical Analysis
• Step 5 Intuitive Charts, Graphs, Tables, etc.
• Step 6 Concluding Effectively

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Conclusion

• Reemphasize what you what the audience to
  remember from the data
• Focus on the key points
• Dont over-interpret your conclusion must be
  supported by the data
• Stress why the information is significant

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Propose Action Steps

• Make your message memorable. For example
• Always use a seatbelt
• Go to a certain website to learn more
• Apply gentle pressure so the audience feels a
  responsibility to act
• Apply a time constraint if appropriate

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Make Recommendations Carefully

• Be careful not to compromise your position of
  authority and objectivity
• Avoid saying A primary seatbelt law must be
  enacted
• Instead say, Primary seatbelt laws have been
  shown to be effective and may be an appropriate
  solution

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What Weve Learned

• Identify your audience
• Readability is very important
• Facilitate comprehension of methods and results
• Use statistics that make sense
• Use intuitive charts, graphs, tables, etc.
• Support your conclusion, propose action steps,
  and make proper recommendations

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A Final Key to Communicating Data Information
Effectively

• Revise
• Revise
• Revise

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Any Questions?
www.nedarc.org