Here are the Top Ten countries according to “The Top Ten of Everything 2005”with the most telephones (wired) :

1. China 214,420,000
2. U.S. 186,232,300
3. Japan 71,149,000
4. Germany 53,720,000
5. India 41,420,000
6. Brazil 38,810,000
7. Russia 33,500,000
8. UK 34,898,000
9. France 33,928,700
10. Italy 27,142,000

So how would I use this in training? If my topic were statistics, I might use it to make the point that the right question gives you the right answer. These numbers have meaning – or do they? Do they have more meaning if we know the population of each country so we know the number of people for each phone? Probably. Would they have more meaning if we also had data on cell phones before deciding how good the communications infrastructure is in a country? Absolutely!

If my topic were communications, I might use this to discuss how readily available the communication mediums, including phones, are in various parts of the world. You get the idea. People love guessing. And they love finding out the answers. Just make sure you have your source available in case they don't believe the data.

The “Top Ten of Everything 2005” has over 1000 lists covering over 140 topics. You're sure to find a number you can use to liven up your training – and drive home a learning point! We offer this book and many others at our
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