Online Program

Please Don't Shoot the Messenger: Delivering Negative Results (303010)

Keywords: presentation, communication, negative results

In many experimental situations, the statistician is among the first to know the results of the study and often has the responsibility of presenting the results to other interested parties, such as the rest of the team, the experimenters, or management. When the results are not consistent with the desired results (i.e., the results are unexpected and undesirable), the presentation becomes more challenging and many aspects of the presentation need to be especially considered. Some presentation techniques such as humor are obviously inappropriate; however, it is still impor tant to keep the attention of the audience and not be unnecessarily solemn. Other aspects, including the order of the presentation, choice of words, and style require special attention, as do several other factors. In this situation, it also may be useful to have a detailed back-up plan and futher explanation if necessary; rarely are further details requested to explain positive results. A detailed explanation and plan will be a major contribution by the statistician; it is important to be prepared with such details. Several other aspects will be presented, with guidance and suggestions.