I Feel Sorry for Your Audiences If...

....you misunderstand Albert Mehrabian. I feel sorry for your audiences if you believe the single worst speaking and communication myth perpetuated in modern times: that 93% of your message is communicated non-verbally.

The Myth

This no-good, very bad, harmful and wasteful myth developed out of one experiment that Mehrabian did in 1971. He had an experimenter read single words to college students with different tones and different facial expressions and then asked them what the speaker really meant. From this narrow and limited experiment he offered a conclusion that when words said one thing and body language and tone of voice said another thing, the words lost. He called this “silent messages”—how people communicate implicitly their emotions and attitudes.

This has become known as “55, 38, 7”: 55% of your message or intention is delivered by body language, 38% by tone of voice and just 7% by your actual words.

You’ll find communication experts gussy this up in various ways. For example, one recently wrote that the 93% is really about your ‘presence’ which she defined as a combination of your body language and tone of voice. Others emphasize posture or dress and style and still others try to force people to change their natural speaking voice.

Content, Content, Content

If your body language is somehow perfect and your voice is exceptional and you stand up and deliver gibberish for 30 minutes, you can be sure there will be only one message communicated: that you don’t know anything and wasted their time. All that perfection did nothing to overcome your lack of meaningful content.

When you speak from your expertise and from a perspective that resonates with the audience, and you’re organized, follow a clear train of thought and bring the speech to a call-to-action that the audience can get behind, you’ve nailed content. And that great content will allow you to be less than perfect in your body language and tone of voice. Your audience will leave excited about what they learned from you and how you’ve helped them improve their lives.

Be Yourself, Polished

I do believe that speakers should polish their rough edges. This means that you’re well-prepared and can speak fluidly. It means you have eliminated any really annoying movements or voice issues. It means you’ve added strategic pauses, have included some well-crafted stories and a bit of humor, and you involve the audience with some questions or participation. You don’t make anyone feel that you’re going to trip, faint or perish from nerves. You know how to handle the microphone, the introduction and any visuals. Here is where the concept of ‘presence’ is meaningful: it communicates that you are the right speaker for this audience at this time.

Being polished allows the content to shine through. Without great content, being polished is meaningless.

The Foam and the Beer

Think of this as the difference between the foam and the beer. The foam attracts your attention and makes you salivate for the first sip. It’s the beer below it that keeps you coming back until the glass is empty. You could enjoy the beer a lot without the foam but you could not enjoy the foam if there was no beer in the glass.

The next time you’re tapped for a speech or presentation, remember that it’s content that counts and body language and tone of voice are nothing without great content. Be the beer, not the foam.

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Seeing restless, uninterested audiences when you speak? Have an important speech or presentation coming up? Coaching will help. Write to me at Susan@susantrivers.com

Comments

[Susan Trivers]

You have all the ideas you need for analogies right in your own life's experiences! The essence of analogies is equivalencies. The foam is pretty but without substance like the beer. The sun on a winter's day looks warm but you don't feel warmth. Densely packed slides are like assembly instructions written in such small type that you don't bother to read them. Now you try it!

[RemotePoss]

I’m on a mission against harmful myths like that! (I’ve a couple of draft posts on the go, and one of them is about busting similar myths.)

I really like the analogy of foam and beer. Coincidentally, I was just reading another speaker’s blog, and she listed analogies as 1 of 3 key tips for being memorable:
https://bitly.com/1wsiVC3

I wish I was better at coming up with analogies, because they can communicate so well!