How To Get The Picture Across
The art of communication includes many things. There are however none as important as the ability to relay the written or spoken word to other human beings. Other human being generally derive the meaning from your words in the following manner:
• The Written Word – 17%
• Tone of Voice – 34%
• Body Language – 49%
The Written Word – 17%
Reading an email or this blog for instance only gives most people 17% of the entire picture. You can’t hear me or see me. What do I look like? What do I sound like? Am I shouting? Am I angry? Am I saying this to be nice or am I talking down at you? There definitely is something missing…
Tone of Voice – 34%
My tone of voice will determine if I’m angry or happy(by sound only). It will give you the ability to add up the words (17%) as well as the tone (34%) and have a pretty good picture of exactly what I’m trying to get across to you.
Body Language – 49%
When you can see me, you see my eyes, my confidence, my bodylanguage. You can now hear the words, hear my tone of voice and see my body language. You now have a full 100% of the conversation. You can engage all of your senses. Look me in the eyes and we have a conversation.
As an example, you can view my Christmas video for 2007 and see how the 17, 34 & 49 percent tie together. Bear in mind, I didn’t think of this when I filmed the video and that probably makes it a much better example.
Imagine only reading the words on the video, then only hearing it. Lastly, imagine viewing the video and ‘feel’ how you get a much better picture of what I’m putting across.
Here are some ideas you can keep in mind when talking to people:
Are You Projecting What You Mean?
When you look someone in the eye, you are trying to make an impression with them. Whether it’s for personal reasons or for business affairs, taking the time to look directly at someone shows that you are serious about what you’re saying. But are you projecting what you mean? In order to project success, communication in all manners needs to be considered.
Physical Communication
If you want to project success, communication needs to be both verbal and physical. Not only do you have to look directly at someone, but you also need to assume a body stance that is confident and assertive. If you are standing up, this might mean that you keep your arms to your sides when you’re not speaking or gesturing, rather than crossing them across your body. Crossed arms can signal a defensive position. When you are talking about something you support, you don’t want to look like you are not certain of what you are saying with your body language.
Verbal Communication
Of course, what you say is just as important as how you say it. But when you’re trying to show that you feel strongly about something, you need to look at the way you’re wording your thoughts. Make sure that you are staying away from words and phrases such as: like, maybe, sort of, kind of, I think, etc. If you want to create success, communication choices like these show you aren’t quite sure what you are saying and you aren’t quite sure if you believe what you are saying.
No matter what kind of lifestyle you lead, or what situations you need to be in, success, communication, and choices all go hand in hand. If this means that you should practice your communication before you head into the boardroom, that’s fine. Those who are able to project their feelings successfully are more likely to get promotions and to get noticed.
And that’s all the motivation most people need to start examining their own communication style.
All the best and Merry Christmas! Here is my Christmas video for 2007
Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2007
Tags: Communication, Lifestyle, Motivation, Success