November 2003

by Edward J. Barks

You have every right to expect your communications coach to assume a number of different roles - teacher, trusted advisor, sounding board, even confidante. Have you ever stopped to think that he also needs to fulfill another role - that of translator?

That's why I wrote the white paper, "How Important Are Nonverbal Signals?" - to lift the veil of mystery from some commonly cited but often misused studies. Here are some excerpts:

It is a statistic commonly cited by communications trainers - 55 percent of the communications signals we send result from how others see us; 38 percent flow from the way they hear us; and seven percent come from our words.

I use those numbers myself when I lead workshops for my clients. In fact, I often raise the notion in the form of a quiz asking which set of tools conveys the bulk of our message. Is it what I term the Video tools - the way you look? The Audio tools - the way you sound? Or the Message - the words you speak?...

The learning moment arrives when I can quantify for them just how powerful a signal these "body language" cues send. Stressing that more than half of the average individual's ability to communicate is delivered via the Video tools drives home the point...

I am careful to point out that the 55-38-7 figures must be placed in context. Not for one moment do I suggest that a speaker or news media source will achieve success if they simply master their Video tools.

The analyses of most trainers fall apart because they don't know the data (just for fun, when confronted with a trainer who cites these numbers, ask him or her for more details on the research. You will likely be met with a nebulous reference to research at one university or another. Or you may encounter a blank stare. While this deer in the headlights reaction may add to your amusement, it should certainly call into question just how much value you stand to gain studying with this individual).

The wizard behind the 55-38-7 curtain is Albert Mehrabian, Ph.D., a faculty member of UCLA's Psychology Department, who first advanced this arrangement. Mehrabian published his research in the 1970s and, while others have added to it around the edges, his work remains the guiding light even today.

Most of my clients don't care about the research methods used to arrive at these findings, nor should they. They care about results. They are intently focused on delivering more persuasive presentations or garnering more positive news clips. These outcomes lead to a healthier bottom line, a shinier brand, an increase in membership, or additional volunteers.

A communications trainer must be alert to the research, without getting so bogged down in the minutiae that he becomes a college lecturer instead of a hands-on provider of practical information. As a university professor of mine was fond of saying, "those who can, do. Those who can't, teach"...

The information provider earns his keep by interpreting the data so that it makes sense in the real world. This applies whether the correct percentage is 55, 75, or 95.

Here is how I frame the picture for my clients: Your message is vital. After all, you decide to speak before an organization or choose to allow a reporter to interview you because of the message you have to impart, not because you want to impress him with your ability to raise an eyebrow or talk with your hands.