Making Numbers Count by Chip Heath & Karla Starr - Non Fiction - Paperback

Product Details
Condition: Brand New
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781787634220
Publisher: Bantam Press

Overview
Making Numbers Count is a clear, practical guide to communicating data so it actually lands. Chip Heath, co-author of the bestselling Made to Stick, teams up with science journalist Karla Starr to show why our brains struggle with big numbers and how to fix that in everyday writing, teaching and presentations. Six memorable principles turn dry statistics into stories people remember and act on, making this an essential paperback for anyone who works with data or teaches.

About the Book
Most of us freeze when a number gets too big or too abstract — a billion, a percentage change, a decimal buried in a report. Making Numbers Count tackles this head-on, arguing that our brains evolved for a world where "one, two, three, lots" was often enough, and that modern communicators need deliberate techniques to bridge the gap. Drawing on years of behavioural research, the book lays out six core translation principles — including simplicity, concreteness, emotion and story — that convert cold statistics into vivid, memorable comparisons. Real-world examples range from climate change and public health to business KPIs and personal finance, showing how the same number can either confuse an audience or change their mind, depending on how it's framed. Rather than offering abstract theory, the authors give concrete rewriting exercises so readers can immediately apply the techniques to their own reports, lessons, pitches and conversations. Whether you're a teacher, a manager building a business case, a journalist, or a parent explaining risk to a child, this book offers a toolkit for making numbers feel human and impossible to ignore.

• Six proven principles for translating numbers into memorable, persuasive messages
• Real-world examples from business, science, health and everyday life
• Practical rewriting exercises you can apply immediately to reports and presentations
• Written by a Stanford professor with a track record of bestselling, research-backed books
• Accessible for readers at any level of comfort with maths or statistics
• Compact paperback, easy to reference, share or gift

About the Author
Chip Heath is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business. With his brother Dan, he has written several New York Times bestselling books, including Made to Stick, Switch and Decisive, translated into more than 30 languages worldwide. Karla Starr is a science journalist and author whose writing focuses on making complex research accessible to general readers. Together they combine academic rigour with storytelling craft, giving Making Numbers Count both credibility and genuine everyday usefulness.

Why You'll Love This Book
Practical, punchy and refreshingly jargon-free, Making Numbers Count turns an intimidating topic into an engaging, quick read — perfect for anyone who wants their numbers to be remembered, understood, and acted upon rather than skipped over.

Please Note: Cover design may vary slightly from the image shown; this is the UK paperback edition with UK ISBN 9781787634220.