by Eugene Vasconi, owner of Communication Arts and author of "Say What? Do You Really Know What You Are Communicating"

As a communication specialist, I always seek to stay aware of ways to better communicate. So, we often encounter the never ending discussion of, “just what has the most potent impact on your communication?” Is it the words, your vocal style, or your body language—or even your neighbor’s dog passing by. Now, before you run away and think that this is all academic garbage, stop for a moment and understand that, if you (or a politician) discover a secret key that makes you SUPERCOMMUNICATOR, you will jump to being lavishly wealthy over night. Hence, the quest.  Some of us think that TV pitch men have this ability but realistically, most of will never achieve that level (high or low).

Our blog comment here refers to a study done in 1967 by Albert Mehrabian, a one-time professor at UCLA. In brief, his study was considered the Holy Grail of communications for many years until people realized that his methodology was limited. Now, after decades, and the availability of never-ending electronic text, scholars dissect the results down to the molecular level. Boring for you – interesting for me. But only to a point -- when we start getting into words of four or more syllables, I zone out. My Masters Degree work was many years ago so I now seek to distill this stuff down to where even I can understand it.

First, on page 95 of my book, “Say What: Do You Really Know What You Are Communicating?” I refer to Mehrabian’s study and, instead of laying down the communication law, I sum it up by saying that “it isn’t so much what you say…it is how you say it.” Now, of course there are always exceptions to the rule and some wise-guy scholar will present a scenario about a person with hands in pockets and no expression who yells, “Free money here – come see me!” Well, in that case, words DO speak louder than delivery. However, for most of us in our day-to-day routines, our words are not explosive enough to carry us to the stratosphere without a lot of visual and vocal help.

The long-standing Mehrabian theory has been labeled the 7%-38%-55% rule because of the way the original study findings were broken down: 7% verbal impact, 38% vocal impact, and 55% visual impact. You can even remember them as the three “V’s”. I refer to the theory in my speaking venues and will continue to do so because I buy into the practical reality of the theory. I see it every day and have tested it; again, not in EVERY scenario but as a general rule of thumb. And in communication involving all sorts of people, a rule of thumb that applies most of the time is as good as it gets. We are not dealing with a mechanical response from a computer that will result in a “2” every time we input “1+1”. We are dealing with humans full of variations.

Test it yourself…stand in front of a person and do the following (I accept no responsibility for the result):

1. Have a mean expression on your face – squinty eyes.
2. Stand sideways so you are bodily closed off.
3. Hold up your right hand and fold all of your fingers back except the middle one.
4. Vocally tell the person, “I like you.”

I believe that the best reaction you can expect to get on this experiment is a “HUH?” from the recipient. I don’t recommend this scenario if you are attempting to make the person a client. So, use the Mehrabian theory and whatever other techniques you can uncover to give yourself the best chance to be successful in your message attempt.

Let’s let the scholars frolic in academic Neverland (they probably aren’t trying to make a profit) and we will wade around out here in the real world. Believe that your words need to be crafted carefully because, by themselves, they have limited punch. Orchestrate and refine them. Then, accompany them with great visual and vocal appeal so your message sings and doesn’t just hum. You will rise to the top of the herd and have the opportunity to make your point at least briefly.

Good luck.

Gene Vasconi