Virtually all data presented today is biased towards the presenter’s agenda. This bias manifests in selective data, convenient data contexts, opinion masquerading as data and narrative delivered as objective fact.
Which is a major problem when you need to make a decision based on that data.
Helping people make good decisions is the central thrust of ethical influence, and biased data does not qualify as ethical influence in my book. While the intent may be pure, the method is anything but.
Why? Because if people agree with the agenda of the presenter, they are doing so with incomplete information, and that is certainly not the way I wish to be influenced. I want to be helped to make a the right decision, but I will not be hoodwinked into it.
Here are five things you can consider when being asked to make a decision based on data:
- Give the data a weighting based on how much it should influence your decision. So easy to ignore more subjective elements in the face of the data. Get it in proportion.
- Think about how important data accuracy really is. Getting fixated on small numbers and allowing them to have an undue impact is easy. If the number you are looking at is out by 20% either way, so what?
- Consider how the data itself is being presented and contextualised. What other ways are there of presenting this, and what other data might be missing?
- No matter now minded you are to agree, what is the counter-argument? Where is the data that could lead to a different conclusion?
- Now, assuming that this data is important to your decision, ask yourself: “How do I know it is true?” This is one of the Five Vital Questions for Today that will help you to develop greater independence of mind.
Research is compelling. Biased pitches lead to downstream relationships consequences. When they find out you’ve omitted something, or misrepresented the data, trust quickly evaporates.
Now let’s do a 180° turn.
How are you using data to influence people?
The Gautrey Influence Blog
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