Thursday, September 9, 2010

What does likability have to do with statistics?

Likeability is a very important skill for statisticians. While the best among us are recognized for our skill, being likeable will entice our clients to listen to us more closely, and with active listening skills we will be able to better understand our clients' problems. This is Tukey's saying "Far better an approximate answer to the right question, which is often vague, than an exact answer to the wrong quesiton, which can always be made precise" in action.

With so many people now needing statistical services, we statisticians need to be good listeners, good communicators, and likeable. So I heartily recommend Bruna Martinuzzi's Likeability: It's an Inside Job.