Consulting 7.1 Dealing with numbers: The basics

This lesson will help ensure that the basics of dealing with numbers: dates, big numbers and statistics, are all done smoothly and correctly. 

Introduction

The way you deal with numbers needs to be quick, natural and precise. This is the first lesson to guide you through a variety of ways of dealing with numbers. 

Discuss with your teacher the difference between numbers in English compared to your native language. 

Numbers are obviously incredibly important in consulting. 

Consultants have to deal with them without wasting brain power on it. This skill needs to be completely seamless. 

Mention that they might have a very good ability to use all types of English about numbers, but very good is not good enough. It needs to be perfect. 

Warm Up

Read the following situations. What potential issues are there with this information? What are the repercussions if each one is not clarified?  

  • A colleague writes the tentative date and time of the digital launch: 03/04/2022 at 6:00. He is working with a global team including offices in America, the UK and Asia.

Small errors can have huge repercussions. 

repercussions—big, negative effects. 

There are three issues with this. Ask your client to find all three. 

  1. What time zone is this in?
  2. Is it a.m. or p.m.? Often Japanese and British people use the 24-hour clock, but the 24-hour clock is referred to as "military time" in the US. 
  3. Japanese and Americans tend to write the date differently. Americans tend to write it mm/dd/yyyy, as that's how it's said: "March fourth, twenty-twenty". 

This way of describing the date and time would be totally fine if it was just in the Japan office. Everyone would know the order of dates and since Japan typically uses a 24-hour clock. 

Language

A. Dealing with time is important. While you should always use ordinal numbers for days (1st, 2nd, etc...) You cannot be sure that others will do the same.

  1. Read the following dates in the American style and the British style:
    • From your American colleague: 01/02/2019
    • From your Scottish colleague: 10/12/2000
    • From your Brazilian colleague: 03/10/2021
  2. Your American colleague prefers not to use "military time", so translate the following times: 
    • 23:20
    • 18:00
    • 13:30
    • 17:45
    • 21:54
    • Now, go back and read each time in natural spoken English using: after, past or to. 

B. Big numbers can be a challenge.

  1. Read the following big numbers. Think of at least two ways to say them—a specific number, and an approximate number:
    • 7,400,000
    • 8,302,478,218
    • 10,910,900,000,000
  2. Answer the following questions. 
    (Note: it is a very good idea to write big numbers so you can be completely confident you are saying them correctly.)

    • What is the population of the city where you live? 

    • What is the population of the country where you live? 

    • About how much money does the richest person in the world have?

C. Percentages and statistics can be said multiple ways. How many ways can you think of saying the following information? There are at least three major ones. Discuss the benefits or uses of each style. 

  1. 10%

  2. 80%

  3. 33%
  4. 0.12%
  5. 700%

Look at the following information and decide with your teacher on the best style to communicate the information: 

  • 0.8% of your products are defective. 
  • 5.7% of your staff report high motivation.
  • We would see a 300% increase.  
  • 40% of sick days are taken either on a Monday or a Friday. 

A. This is really important. Tell your student: if you have to pause with any of this, then you need practice. 

American dates: mm/dd/yyyy
UK dates: dd/mm/yyyy

  1. The following can be confusing. They can ask a few different ways. 
    • January second, twenty nineteen
    • The tenth of December, year two thousand
    • They can ask, "is it day first, or month first?" Or, "is it the third of October, or March 10th?"
      • it follows British style: the third of October, twenty twenty-one

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_format_by_country 

If you are unsure about dates, ask!

2. Read the simple ones, then go and read the spoken English style:

  • 23:20 = 11:20 PM = twenty past eleven.
  • 18:00 = 6:00 PM
  • 13:30 = 1:30 PM = half past one/ UK: half one.
  • 17:45 = 5:45 PM = quarter to six
  • 21:54 = 9:54 PM = depends on the formality. Is it highly specific (the train leaves at), or more casual (time your colleague arrived at the bar)? 

B. Just quickly say the big numbers using the exact number, and "point"

  1. 7,400,000
    =seven million four hundred thousand.
    =seven point four million 
  • 8,302,478,218
    = eight billion, three hundred and two million, four hundred seventy eight thousand, two hundred and eighteen. 
    = Over eight point three billion. 
  • 10,910,900,000,000 
    =Ten trillion, nine hundred ten billion, nine hundred million. 
    =Over ten point nine trillion 
    =Nearly eleven trillion. 

NOTE: If your student needs help with saying these numbers, you can take a look at this link together.

2. This obviously depends on where they are. 

  • Tokyo metropolitan area's population is over 8 million.
  • Japan's population is 126 million. 
  • You can share this chart of the richest people in the world, as of February 2024, with your student. The site should update this list regularly.

C. While simply saying the percentages is correct, they can be neutral or impersonal.

If you are communicating to a client, it may be useful to give the information some emotional weight.

Copy/paste the following as a chat message:

1. Percent is exact, but can seem cold and overly analytical 
2. Fractions are easier for spoken English, and a good style for general amounts (one half, third, quarter, fifth). —general rule: use whatever style requires fewer syllables. 
3. Using "out of" or "in" is good for small numbers and describing people. It has a bigger emotional impact. 

  1. 10% —ten percent, one in ten, one tenth. 
  2. 80% —eighty percent, four in five, four fifths. 
  3. 33% —thirty-three percent, one in three, one third.
  4. 0.12% —point one two percent, twelve in every thousand, just over one one-thousandth. 
  5. 700% —seven hundred percent, seven times, seven-fold 

There is room for discussion, but the general rule of thumb is, use the "out of" or "in" style to make them seem more significant or impactful. For example: 

  • 4.9% of the staff have reported having a serious argument at work. 
    =Nearly one in every twenty employees has reported having a serious argument at work.

Here are some answers or suggestions: 

  • 0.8%— Eight in every thousand. 
  • 5.7% —Just over one in twenty staff
  • 300% — In this case, probably saying it literally has more impact: three hundred percent. Or, you can say three-fold increase, or three times more. 
  • 40% — two-fifths, but actually an absolutely normal amount.
Practice

Your teacher has a number of questions for you. Answer them using the language above.