C10.5.1 continued…
Albert Mehrabian (currently a US Educational Psychologist) published in 1971, work on the subject of verbal communication. He concluded that:
This is a widely quoted study. Although there is some scepticism that you could understand 93% of what a person speaking a different language is saying, there is truth in the fact that our body language and tone of voice are extremely important elements of communication.
Other studies have evaluated different types of communication. For example, when speaking on a phone, it is believed that 20% of the communication is based on what you say (words) and 80% is based on the way you say it (tone).
Remember that some people respond more to what they see, some to what they hear and some to what they read. It is important to ensure that you use a variety of communication methods to convey your message. A mixture of written, audio and visual media is the most effective.