Think of a Number

Simon Lancaster

Chapter Chapter 23 in Winning Minds, 2015, pp 199-202 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract Peter Mandelson once said that most people don’t understand statistics or, if they do, they think that they are bullshit. He had a point. Half of British adults do not have the mathematical skills expected of an 11 year old.1 Numbers just don’t work for a lot of people. I’ve worked with high-profile people who regularly confused millions and billions, even in press conferences: most of the time, the journalists didn’t notice either. Research shows that the brain is only capable of processing seven bits of data at a time.2 Nevertheless, so many modern leaders think you’re not leading effectively if you don’t have a never-ending blitzkrieg of stats up your sleeve.

Keywords: House Price; Mathematical Skill; Press Conference; British Adult; Video Story (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-46594-8_24

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DOI: 10.1057/9781137465948_24

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