Dr Lau Cher Han breaks through the complexity of data in BFM interview

Data has been described as the new oil, yet in trying to explain it on camera you run the risk of either boring or confusing your audience.

Thankfully viewers can turn to Dr Lau Cher Han, and his interview with BFM, for a more refined definition of the role data plays in our lives today.

Dr Lau uses analogies and speaks in a conversational way to break down the complexity so well that we are nominating him for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2020.

Watch and read below for my assessment.

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We launched the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards in 2018 to recognise local business leaders for their communications skills, and to showcase authentic and credible home-grown communicators.

Supported by the Asia Pacific Association of Communications Directors, we highlight shining examples for other local business leaders to follow, and to build a culture of excellence in communication, to maximise the potential of Asian companies in the Asian Century.

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• Examples and analogies

To explain how data can unlock knowledge that we did not know previously, Dr Lau used the example of how Grab uses data to provide predictability to taxi fares, compared to the guessing game people who take metered taxis have to play.

Such very practical and relatable examples help your audience visualise your point, and this is particularly effective when talking about something as complex as data.

His Facebook page even has a video, explaining Machine Learning by means of a comparison with chicken rice - another example of clarity using examples and analogies. 

• Natural delivery

Dr Lau’s delivery was natural. He had slight pauses at strategic moments, and he did not rush through his points. He cared to get his stories across and be understood.

• Very little data

Ordinarily, we reward spokespeople for bringing data points into their interviews, to substantiate their claims with scientific proof. Ironically, this would cloud the picture in interviews where you try to make sense of data, which is why its general absence is to be commended here. 

If you know Dr Lau Cher Han, share this article with him and congratulate him on being nominated for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2020.