Albert Mehrabian, a psychologist, at the University of California, Los Angelas in 1967, some 57 years ago put forward a rule which reads 7-38-55. It means 7 per cent communication is conveyed by our words, 38 per cent through our tone (of voice) and 55 per cent through our body language.
It is a simple rule but is captivating. Some say it is not true, but it cannot be discarded outright. If you understand it, it enhances your emotional intelligence.
It makes you a better communicator. It facilitates business negotiations. You become aware of the body language and tone of voice. You also recognize non-verbal gestures. Yawning indicates the listener is bored. At times, the communicator is aggressive. However, the idea is not to look at sales pitches or interviews. It aims at scanning feelings, words and expressions. It adds up to verbal liking, vocal liking and facial liking. These equations apply when the conversation focuses on feelings or attitudes, It is not focused on factual content.
Maybe, your girlfriend is irritated with you and still she says she is fine. Here the rule applies. This applies even when you are not sure whether the employees and you are not on the page. It comes handy when it is hard to read the intent of the other person. Whenever in doubt, lean on tone and body language. If you are in conflict with your tone or body language, people will pay attention to what they see rather than what they hear.
An essential component of emotional intelligence is to read emotions of and convey your own more accurately. The rule is catchy and is a good reminder that these skills must be improved. It is not so important to know what someone says.
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