Has anyone heard of Albert Mehrabian's Communication Model? You probably haven't heard the name, but anyone who has taken a training course in communications or presentations has probably heard these findings being quoted by the trainer:
7% of meaning is in the words that are spoken.
38% of meaning is in the way that the words are said.
55% of meaning is in facial expression and body language.
But do these findings really apply to business presentations? I asked this question because it just didn't seem right to me. Only 7% of meaning is in WHAT you say to the audience?!
So, I looked around a bit and found Dr. Mehrabian’s website. He states very clearly that his model has been used for situations that really DON'T apply!
This Communication Model was meant to apply only to ‘face-to-face, one-to-one communications, containing an emotional or attitudinal element’. Dr. Mehrabian goes on to state that 'unless a communicator is talking about their feelings or attitudes, these equations are not applicable.'
So, what does that mean to business presentations? Is it unimportant HOW you deliver a presentation - of course not! But, even if you have beautiful body language, meaningful gestures and wonderful facial expressions, if WHAT you are saying to your audience isn't focused on their needs or isn’t important to them, they won't listen to you!
So, start spending much more time on the core message of your presentation and choosing the words that will motivate your audiences to listen and less time deciding on the right gestures and facial expressions!
7% of meaning is in the words that are spoken.
38% of meaning is in the way that the words are said.
55% of meaning is in facial expression and body language.
But do these findings really apply to business presentations? I asked this question because it just didn't seem right to me. Only 7% of meaning is in WHAT you say to the audience?!
So, I looked around a bit and found Dr. Mehrabian’s website. He states very clearly that his model has been used for situations that really DON'T apply!
This Communication Model was meant to apply only to ‘face-to-face, one-to-one communications, containing an emotional or attitudinal element’. Dr. Mehrabian goes on to state that 'unless a communicator is talking about their feelings or attitudes, these equations are not applicable.'
So, what does that mean to business presentations? Is it unimportant HOW you deliver a presentation - of course not! But, even if you have beautiful body language, meaningful gestures and wonderful facial expressions, if WHAT you are saying to your audience isn't focused on their needs or isn’t important to them, they won't listen to you!
So, start spending much more time on the core message of your presentation and choosing the words that will motivate your audiences to listen and less time deciding on the right gestures and facial expressions!
© 2009 Jeanne Trojan. All rights reserved
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