Sometimes it's not what you say, it's how you say it. Sometimes it's not what you show, it's how you show it.
I've retired from corporate America, but I've given a lot of presentations to a lot of people and one thing is clear: you can say something to someone, but what you show can tell a much different story... even if you show exactly what you said.
Here are three graphs with data spanning 120 years. All three show the temperature trending upward approximately 1 degree C over that time.
The first comes from a website by Dr. Richard A. Muller of the University of California, Berkeley.
Notice the dramatic increase in temperature over the recent 3 decades.
The next graph is adapted from a website by Dr. Richard A. Muller of the University of California, Berkeley.
Notice the moderate increase in temperature over the past 3 decades.
Enlarged graph available - click on graph
The last graph is adapted from a website by Dr. Richard A. Muller of the University of California, Berkeley.
Notice the negligible increase in temperature over the past 3 decades.
Enlarged graph available - click on graph
What vertical scale would you use to show temperature change over 120 years? Sometimes when something is very small, you have to exaggerate in order to display it in a way that grabs the attention of your audience.
Do your eyes tell you that you are looking at the same data... even though you were told that ahead of time?
Do your eyes tell you that you are looking at the same data... even though you were told that ahead of time?
What is 1 degree C? Dramatic? Moderate? Negligible?
If you didn't have graphs shown to you, what would you say?
Here's a frame of reference for you. Orlando, Florida has an average annual temperature of 72.4 degrees F (22.4 degrees C) and Detroit, Michigan has an average annual temperature of 48.6 degrees F (9.2 degrees C). If Detroit's annual average temperature increased by 1 degree C, it would still be 12.2 degrees C colder than Orlando.
So, I ask again: What is 1 degree C? Dramatic? Moderate? Negligible?
... more tomorrow...
If you didn't have graphs shown to you, what would you say?
Here's a frame of reference for you. Orlando, Florida has an average annual temperature of 72.4 degrees F (22.4 degrees C) and Detroit, Michigan has an average annual temperature of 48.6 degrees F (9.2 degrees C). If Detroit's annual average temperature increased by 1 degree C, it would still be 12.2 degrees C colder than Orlando.
So, I ask again: What is 1 degree C? Dramatic? Moderate? Negligible?
... more tomorrow...
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