Plain numbers - it’s also a thing

Last November I had the opportunity to attend a webinar on plain numbers, presented by specialists in their field, Ben Perkins and Mike Ellicock of ‘Plain Numbers’ (www.plainnumbers.org.uk). I was intrigued by the concept of applying a ‘plain’ principle to numbers. It turns out that just as plain language is about writing clearly for the reader, so plain numbers is about communicating numbers more clearly to customers.

Research indicates that on questioning people on their level of understanding after reading an article, the gap between what they say they understand and what they really understand, is notable.

According to these gentlemen,

·       half the adult population has the numeracy level of a primary school child.

·       one in five adults suffer from maths anxiety.

This should be enough evidence to shake us into reassessing our communications from a language and numeracy point of view – has the message been clearly communicated to the reader?

The below figure illustrates the reality of the poor and low levels of numeracy in comparison to other factors that affect the consumer. This highlights the need to communicate numbers in a way that the reader can interpret.

It is also worth noting that when comparing poor numeracy levels to poor literacy, three times the number of consumers battle with numeracy vulnerabilities compared to literacy issues.

Based on these stats, there is a clear need to improve the consumers’ comprehension of numbers. While there is a massive global drive to communicate in plain language, there is an even bigger need to express numerical data clearly.

The take-home is that you need to relook at your consumer messaging and objectively assess it. The more the reader can identify with your messaging, the better they can react and respond and the higher your success rate will be at engaging the reader so that they can use the information in the manner in which it is intended. Ultimately, this will affect your bottom line.

Are your consumer-centric communications clear, can they be improved? If the reader were to evaluate a form, contract, agreement or brochure, would they agree that it has been well-articulated and communicated?

For an objective assessment of your documents and communications, email us at lang3lish@gmail.com and we will assist you to engage better with your audience, resulting in increased reader presence and engagement.