Millions of viewers can’t get enough of sharks, which is why Discovery and NatGeo devote more than 100 hours of programming in July to one of nature’s fiercest and most misunderstood predators. Between “Shark Week” and “SharkFest,” you can learn everything you care to know about the estimated 500 species of sharks that swim in the world’s oceans.
As a communication specialist, I’ve become an avid viewer because the documentary-style shows offer brilliant examples of writing that effectively present numbers and data.
The writers of these shark episodes—and nature writers in general—are keenly aware that humans have a hard time visualizing large numbers. So a good writer will do it for them.
For example, in NatGeo’s “Tiger vs. Tuna,” we learn that giant yellowfin tuna are “nearly twice the length of a man and as heavy as a horse.”
The writers in this example don’t start with numbers. Viewers can read the numbers on the screen (9 feet/880 pounds). Instead, the writers and narrator go directly to a comparison that anyone can instantly visualize. If they just stuck with numbers, viewers would tune out, overwhelmed by a dizzying array of facts, numbers, and statistics.
Viewers also learn striking facts about tiger sharks. A tiger shark is “over half the length of a school bus.” Its stomach can digest “a license plate.” And its jaws have the power “to crush a car.”
School buses, license plates, and cars—all things that are universally identifiable. There’s no need to translate numbers from the imperial system to the metric system. We all get it. Sharks and tunas are big and powerful.
But while tiger sharks and giant yellowfin tuna are formidable creatures, they’re not as quick as the shortfin mako, the fastest shark in the world. The writers don’t bother with its exact speed in miles/kilometers per hour. Instead, viewers learn, “In a 30-year lifetime, this shark can swim more than 15 times around the world.” We’re also told that the mako is “heavier than a grizzly and faster than a jackrabbit.”
Comparisons to things like the size of the world, the weight of a grizzly bear, and the speed of a jackrabbit all form mental pictures that come easily to mind.
Data visualization is the practice of translating information into infographics, maps, graphs, and other visual tools that make it easier for the human brain to grasp. But even if you’re not creating a graphic, you can still use the concept of data visualization to hook your audience and deliver compelling presentations on any topic that involves numbers.
Numbers like three, four, and five are easy to visualize, and our brains are adapted to do so. But once you start adding numbers larger than ten—and a steady stream of numbers—look for tangible things your audience instantly recognizes. Translating numbers into something your listener or reader can visualize makes the information relatable, understandable, and memorable.
And, as a bonus, your audience will remember you.
Read the full article here
