How Numbers Can Lie: A New Look at Statistics & Data

Thursday, December 8, 2022
6:00 PM 7:00 PM 18:00 19:00

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The famous saying, “numbers don’t lie,” might work when reporting the score of a football game, but even then, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Data points can influence our choices, make the difference between a product succeeding or failing, and determine whether people choose to support a particular candidate or to eat at a new restaurant in town. How do we keep a clear head and be aware of what numbers are trying to make us do or believe?

Join us on Thursday, December 8 for a session that will explore the ways bad actors can manipulate statistics to deceive the public, and how you can avoid being fooled by them. Our invited trainer Arthur Swift has 25 years of expertise in political, journalistic, and academic communications. He is a professor of Political Communications at The American University in Washington, DC, specializing in Public Speaking, Crisis Communications, and Political Research instruction.

During the event, you will learn about and discuss factors that can mislead decisionmakers:

🔸 small sample size;
🔸 big meaningless numbers;
🔸 correlation, not causation;
🔸 selection bias;
🔸 visual trickery;
🔸 arbitrary cutoffs.

Bring your questions and register below:

📍 The deadline to register: December 8th, 5 PM Kyiv time

More about the trainer:

Art Swift has 25 years of communications experience and is a resident of Arlington, Virginia, USA. He is a professor of Political Communications at The American University in Washington, DC, specializing in Public Speaking, Crisis Communications and Political Research instruction. He is also Chief Communications Officer for Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Swift's career has been a combination of political, journalistic, and academic experience. He has also worked for the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York, along with serving as the Executive Editor of Gallup, the worldwide public opinion polling company, as well as being a producer and reporter for ABC News. Swift is a graduate of Columbia University in New York City.