The Mathematics Of Persuasive Communication

Published September 11, 2010 | By Bman

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to create information, i.e. help the reader understand.

There are two important tests to apply when converting data into information:

1. Relevance

Is a particular piece of data really needed? As we have seen, unnecessary data damages understanding and ultimately undermines confidence. Therefore, any data that do not either aid understanding or promote confidence should be eliminated.

2. Misconceptions

The logical link between data must be made explicit to prevent the reader from coming to false conclusions. For example: a specific situation may be confused for a general one; credit for an achievement may seem to belong to only one person when it really belongs to a group; a company policy may appear to apply only in very specific circumstances rather than in all circumstances, etc.

To ensure that a

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