Remember when you took that statistics class and thought- oh I won’t see this again…guess what? IT’S BACK and someone expects you to make a presentation with it. It’s not that you don’t understand it. In school, you achieved excellent grades in statistics. Your school presentations in grad school met academic expectations. However, presentations for work are a different breed altogether. Because someone expects you to choose the correct statistics, make decisions, and give explanations for the data. Here are four things to consider when doing statistics for a work presentation.
Four Things to Consider
- Test the Assumptions of Your Statistical Methods: You should make sure that your data meets the requirements of your statistical procedures. If you do not have the right variable types then choose another test. If your dependent variable is not normally distributed then a need to consider methods that can accommodate non-normality.
2. Non-parametric for bivariate analysis. If you only want to look at the associations between variables then go non-parametric. Otherwise, choose parametric for full-story statistics. If you are trying to show the relationship amongst and between independent variables then go parametric. If you could care less, then analyze one dependent and one independent for your presentation.
3. Do your own research. If someone gives you an explanation, that’s great but look it up anyway. It’s good to get into the habit of looking up the background on a topic instead of relying upon others. Because sometimes people forget all of the facts associated with a method. More importantly, you will be the statistics expert in your work. So know your stuff.
4. Get a practice audience. Whenever I had to give a presentation I enlisted the help of three friends to listen to my talk. It helps to get input on your work from a neutral source. Many times, I am hired as an ‘invisible’ consultant who just helps people ‘think’ about their project. I verify that the right methods were used and the presentation is solid. But I also help people prepare to defend their work. Whether you hire an expert or not- it is a good idea to bounce ideas off other people.
-Moore to follow-Amy