Only 7% of your message is contained in the words

[Jex]

I went to a talk yesterday evening on communication by a communication professional who shall remain nameless. Have you ever been shown a pie chart that says in communication, 55% of the meaning comes from body language, 38% from the tone and only 7% of the words? Only a little thought is required to realise that that cannot be true. Otherwise you could easily understand foreign language films where you don't speak the language. You might pick up some of what is going on in the emotional scenes, but you wouldn't have much of a clue about the plot. That is apparently with 93% of the information that you need to understand the meaning! If you turn it on its head, would you agree that if you understood or heard 'only' 93% of the words that you would still know what is going on?

Unfortunately those who teach communications trot out this statistic on a regular basis and last night must have been about the fifth time I have been shown it and I am afraid I was a bit rude to the presenter. The chart is derived from some work by Professor Mehrabian and derives from a study that he did many years ago under particular conditions where the effects of emotions and feelings on meaning were being studied and it does not apply in other contexts, e.g see www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dboA8cag1M and http://www.kaaj.com/psych/smorder.html (there's loads of information available - put Mehrabian Myth into Google.

I know it is seriously misleading and I am not a communications expert. Why do so many communications 'experts' accept it uncritically?

The reason for posting this is that most people will be exposed to this pie chart in a business context where it does not apply. Please be aware. Think about it. Challenge it.

[andy-xr]

If you assume films to be real, rather than acted I guess you could get into how well acted they are. It's a difficult one with cultures other than your own, if you go to Italy for example and watch a conversation, you're never quite sure whether someone's about to stab someone else for sleeping with their sister or whether they're just organising a time to meet for coffee from the tone and volume of the language, but you can see how someone's squared up or not to another, and who's doing the organising is more 'up' than someone who's agreeing

The British have a certain way about them that's passive in both words and body language, I dont know if it comes from not wanting to cause a fuss but inside seething about something, but usually it's the eyes that tell more. I like this chart, I've seen and heard the phrases used in business conversation and often it's said by the British person while looking away or not quite connecting in some way

[Tallow]

Without wishing to sound contrary, surely it would depend also upon the business context to which you refer? That's a pretty broad range of scenarios.

[Pixelpeep7r]

bookmarked

[Frimley111R]

Lies, damn lies and statistics!

[RobinOakapple]

I really don't know what the OP is trying to say

because I can't see his body language and can't hear his tone of voice

[Jex]

RobinOakapple said:

I really don't know what the OP is trying to say

because I can't see his body language and can't hear his tone of voice

[Le TVR]

Given that is in relation to "Implicit communication of emotions and attitudes" then it's probably not far off.

Nothing to do with communication of meaning where the words themselves are dominant.

[Jex]

Le TVR said:

Given that is in relation to "Implicit communication of emotions and attitudes" then it's probably not far off.

Nothing to do with communication of meaning where the words themselves are dominant.

The problem is that the context is never given. In ordinary communication it is nothing like that and it is quoted by people who are supposed to be training you on how to communicate effectively in business or how to give a good presentation!
smartbrainthinking.com/mehrabian-myth-words-are-far-more-than-7-communication/

[Monkeylegend]

Jex said:

I went to a talk yesterday evening on communication by a communication professional who shall remain nameless. Have you ever been shown a pie chart that says in communication, 55% of the meaning comes from body language, 38% from the tone and only 7% of the words? Only a little thought is required to realise that that cannot be true. Otherwise you could easily understand foreign language films where you don't speak the language. You might pick up some of what is going on in the emotional scenes, but you wouldn't have much of a clue about the plot. That is apparently with 93% of the information that you need to understand the meaning! If you turn it on its head, would you agree that if you understood or heard 'only' 93% of the words that you would still know what is going on?

Unfortunately those who teach communications trot out this statistic on a regular basis and last night must have been about the fifth time I have been shown it and I am afraid I was a bit rude to the presenter. The chart is derived from some work by Professor Mehrabian and derives from a study that he did many years ago under particular conditions where the effects of emotions and feelings on meaning were being studied and it does not apply in other contexts, e.g see www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dboA8cag1M and http://www.kaaj.com/psych/smorder.html (there's loads of information available - put Mehrabian Myth into Google.

I know it is seriously misleading and I am not a communications expert. Why do so many communications 'experts' accept it uncritically?

The reason for posting this is that most people will be exposed to this pie chart in a business context where it does not apply. Please be aware. Think about it. Challenge it.

I understood less than 10% of that

[0000]

Jex said:

I know it is seriously misleading and I am not a communications expert. Why do so many communications 'experts' accept it uncritically?

Because they're not really experts which is why they've qualified the term so they don't work in a field that competes with qualified people?

Spin doctor.
Reality star.
Council worker.
Climate scientist.
Project manager.
Substitute teacher.

[Jonboy_t]

Surely it only refers to when you're actually talking though? As in, when you are physically speaking words, people elicit more from the way you are stood/holding yourself/intonation etc than they do from what you are saying.

The 7% thing would be a useless figure if someone hadn't actually said anything at all!

[Jex]

Jonboy_t said:

Surely it only refers to when you're actually talking though? As in, when you are physically speaking words, people elicit more from the way you are stood/holding yourself/intonation etc than they do from what you are saying.

The 7% thing would be a useless figure if someone hadn't actually said anything at all!

Ah yes - I will answer your question about the efficiency of our product using the medium of dance.

[vanordinaire]

That's not a Pie Chart, this is a Pie Chart.....

[Monkeylegend]

vanordinaire said:

That's not a Pie Chart, this is a Pie Chart.....

That's not a pie, that's a tart, lemon curd no less, maybe, so it's a tart chart.

[vanordinaire]

Monkeylegend said:

vanordinaire said:

That's not a Pie Chart, this is a Pie Chart.....

That's not a pie, that's a tart, lemon curd no less, maybe, so it's a tart chart.

Apologies, I bow to your expertise on tarts.

[Monkeylegend]

vanordinaire said:

Monkeylegend said:

vanordinaire said:

That's not a Pie Chart, this is a Pie Chart.....

That's not a pie, that's a tart, lemon curd no less, maybe, so it's a tart chart.

Apologies, I bow to your expertise on tarts.

In a previous life I worked at the Colmans plant that made Gales Lemon Curd

[vanordinaire]

Monkeylegend said:

vanordinaire said:

Monkeylegend said:

vanordinaire said:

That's not a Pie Chart, this is a Pie Chart.....

That's not a pie, that's a tart, lemon curd no less, maybe, so it's a tart chart.

Apologies, I bow to your expertise on tarts.

In a previous life I worked at the Colmans plant that made Gales Lemon Curd

Amazing coincidence, I once went out with a girl called Gail Colman who wasn't a lemon but was a bit of a tart.

[Monkeylegend]

vanordinaire said:

Monkeylegend said:

vanordinaire said:

Monkeylegend said:

vanordinaire said:

That's not a Pie Chart, this is a Pie Chart.....

That's not a pie, that's a tart, lemon curd no less, maybe, so it's a tart chart.

Apologies, I bow to your expertise on tarts.

In a previous life I worked at the Colmans plant that made Gales Lemon Curd

Amazing coincidence, I once went out with a girl called Gail Colman who wasn't a lemon but was a bit of a tart.

And how much of her did you eat in a session?

[minimalist]

I always liked this pie chart