Trick and Truth

I have a toddler niece who is already learning how to talk. She is at the stage where when friends of her parents would ask what her name is she would start reciting her full name.

One holiday, my siblings from different parts of the country came to visit our parents. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room where the children showcased their question and answer skills. There was the usual barrage of “What is your name?” or “What sound does a cat make?” and the children would dutifully answer the questions.

At one point my father asked my niece, “How old are you?”. My niece giggled for a while, paused and then stuck up two of her fingers while shouting “Three!”. Everyone in the room burst out laughing and applauded.

The audience was entertained. The question wasn’t answered. What was the correct number, we didn’t know. It was a trick. Well played, little girl.  

In several years that I worked as a data analyst and presenter I learned that there are tricks to manipulate data to mask a substandard result, disguise a problematic fact or tell a totally different story. This is not about falsification of data but about conscious misinterpretation – rearranging the sequence of discussion, not explaining context, or leaving out details. The numbers do not lie but the presenter may not tell the whole truth.

On hindsight, the same skills needed for misinterpretation can be used to guide the audience through the presenter’s complex analysis. Give out information in bite sizes. Sequence it starting from the simplest. Use tools to emphasize and visualize. Leave out details – yes if unnecessary. Interpretation is subjective so interpret straight and upfront.  Do not leave room for confusion. Allow however room for interaction and constructive examination.  

In defense of my niece, she was in fact two and a half years old at the time. It was both trick and truth.