Insight Literacy: Why We Need to Be Clear

winy (62)in Project HOPE • 3 years ago

If you read a lot of articles related to data or social media posts, you will not be surprised to find the word ‘understanding’ repeated over and over again.

If you scan websites with popular math tools, the word will be sprayed on all of their marketing content. If you pay close attention to the word during your workweek, you will also experience ‘understanding’ often used in conversations, meetings, and emails.

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However, if we pause and think about the word, do we really have a clear idea of what it means — or not? And does it really matter whether our opinion is somewhat biased or not? I believe it is important. In fact, I think it is a serious problem that can explain why many organizations have not yet achieved so much success with their investment.

As companies increasingly develop data literacy training programs for their employees, you can not ignore the need for in-depth knowledge, which begins with a clear understanding of what data is. Let me share my quest for a clear definition of ‘mind’ and explain why I think it is one of the most important things you can define within your organization.

Looking for an explanation of better details

Back in late 2019, as I was going through the process of reviewing my book, Successful Dialogue With Data: How to Drive Changes With Data, Narrative, and Visualization, a few of my reviewers said I should clarify what I meant by the word, understanding.

I have used the word throughout the book as details are an important part of all data issues. However, I did not think that students have the same understanding of the word as I do.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that although I always used the word, I never really thought about how I would explain what comprehension is.

Like most people, if I am unsure of the meaning, I turn to a dictionary. The first definition I came across was the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which defines comprehension as “the act or consequence of grasping the inside of things or seeing accurately.”

Gaining a deeper understanding of something felt vague to me and is not so different from just looking at or learning something new.

Dissatisfied, I kept looking and found a Cambridge dictionary defining understanding as “a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a problem or situation.”

Although this explanation was somewhat helpful, I have not yet fully grasped the root of the understanding. Both definitions fail to distinguish between special findings or discoveries — and something less significant that may be useful but irrational.

My success came when I came across a simple but clear explanation from a psychologist, Gary Klein. He describes understanding as “an unexpected turn of events.”

In other words, comprehension is a new knowledge that challenges our existing understanding, which causes us to re-examine our thinking and change our perspective.

In a sense, you are trading in your belief or trust in an existing causal relationship (Earth is flat) to find a new one (Earth is round). To me, this definition best represents what understanding is and its impact on our thinking.

Views are not details

A common error occurs when people confuse visuals with data. They think because information stands out as interesting or unusual for them to gain understanding.

However, even if you have seen an exciting trend, pattern, or trend in the data, you are still missing an important ingredient — ‘why ’behind the remarkable numbers.

Awareness is like a seed that can grow into a seed, but further analysis or testing is often needed before it can happen.

Let’s pretend you were introduced noting that product sales increased by 87% last week.

This fact may be obvious and not unusual. However, in the case of Gary Klein's definition, comprehension must go beyond two criteria: does it erode your understanding, and does it do it unexpectedly?