Numbers make the world tangible. They reveal developments, highlight interdependencies and point to problems. Used properly, they enrich storytelling.

Texts with figures are more exciting, not just because they give you more information, but also because depending on the situation they can arouse either positive or negative emotions. Figures can surprise you, underscore an assertion or make you curious. Did you know, for example, that according to Duden, native speakers of German understand at least 50,000 words passively? With only 26 letters.

Whether you choose to communicate figures or have to because of the context, it’s worth bearing a few points in mind.

Exercise restraint
Few people can absorb a lot of figures at once. So it’s best to use numbers sparingly. Ideally you should limit yourself to the three most important figures.

Inaccuracy desired for once
Round figures up or down, especially if they’re big numbers, where the degree of detail is often less crucial. Take, for example, the population of the city of Zurich: rather than writing “436,332”, try “just under 440,000”. Rounded numbers make things less complex and are easier to understand. Naturally you have to make exceptions when it comes to technical information or business numbers.

The form is decisive
Whether you write “one quarter”, “25 per cent” or “one in four”, the way you communicate figures makes a difference. Depending on the context and what you’re trying to say, you have to consider what form is the most appropriate and what it will trigger in your audience. For example, writing that one in ten Britons can no longer afford to eat and heat all the time because of the threat of rising electricity prices arouses greater emotion than saying ten per cent of Britons.

Use comparisons
Numbers on their own can’t always be understood. Draw a comparison to make the figure more tangible. Remember that your comparison doesn’t necessarily have to involve football fields or elephants. Audience-specific examples work particularly well. If you’re an electricity company communicating to a broad audience, for example, try comparing the surface area of a new solar power installation with the average size of a living room. In internal communications you could describe the surface area in terms of your head office or the surface of a dam.

What now?
Figures need a context and often an explanation. Put them in a context so that your audience can make something of them. You could show the development over the last few years, for example. Combining data with skilful storytelling makes them easier to understand and retain.

If you back up what you say in a text with figures, for example from studies, you make your content more credible because it’s less likely to be questioned. But it also means that you should use figures carefully. Even as a reader, a healthy dose of scepticism is in order. The book Factfulness by Hans Rosling helps interpret data and shows what comparisons we should look at critically.