| Phoenix, Arizona
Have you ever heard the age-old saying that actions speak louder than words? It's true — vocal language only accounts for about 7% of communication. This was discovered in a ground-breaking study done by Dr. Albert Mehrabian in the 1970s, which led to the creation of the 7-38-55 Rule. This rule explains that the speakers’ spoken words are only a small fraction of their communication.
So if we only pass along 7% of our message through words, how else do we communicate? It turns out that in conversations people say about 38% of their message just through their tone of voice. Take the ever-popular example of sarcasm, in which we primarily use tonality to get our message across. Some of the most common ways we do this are by changing the pitch of our voices, over-emphasizing a word, and exaggerating certain syllables. This common and everyday occurrence is a perfect example of what goes into that 38% of our communication. Research has also shown that our tone of voice has a say in how we communicate information about ourselves as well. For example, those who speak in a low-pitched voice are perceived as more authoritative and competent than those who speak in a higher pitch.
The other 55% of our message is communicated through body language, how we nonverbally communicate through conscious and unconscious gestures or movements. Body language is conveyed through all parts of the body, from the position of your legs to eye movement to posture. Interestingly, some research has explained that we had a more difficult time communicating during the COVID-19 pandemic because face masks concealed our facial expressions and gestures. This hindered our communication because our facial movements have a huge role in facilitating the delivery and comprehension of messages. To go back to our previous example, we also communicate that we are using sarcasm through facial gestures like eye rolls, smirks, and deadpan expressions.
However hard to believe, it is true, vocal language only accounts for about 7% of communication. Respectively, our tone of voice and body language communicate about 38% and 55% of our messages. Shocking, right? You might think that you are the exception to this worldwide rule, that you don't pay attention to those "silly" things and listen only to the words someone speaks - but you are wrong. Just take a moment to observe yourself in conversation, and ask yourself - how am I receiving this information?
Comments