Pick one number
Not five. One number that, if it moved, would change what the room does next.
Pass one: the number, alone
Show it. Say it. Then stop talking for two seconds.
[Number]. [Unit]. Over [period].
Silence is not awkward here. Silence is how a number lands.
Pass two: the comparison
A number with no comparison is noise. Always give one of these three:
- Against the past: "It was [old] last year."
- Against a target: "We said [target]. We are at [actual]."
- Against a peer: "The category is [benchmark]."
Pass three: the mechanism
The number is a footprint. Show the thing that made it.
This happened because [specific decision or behaviour]. Here is the evidence: [one chart, one quote].
The warning inside the number
Every good number has a problem hidden in it. Name it before someone else does.
The part I want to argue about is [weakness in the trend].
The decision
So my recommendation is [specific action], owned by [name], reviewed on [date].
Checklist
- [ ] One number, not five
- [ ] One comparison
- [ ] One mechanism
- [ ] One honest weakness
- [ ] One decision with a name and a date
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