In nearly every book on body language the 55-38-7 rule is mentioned. It is a case of a number or supposed fact being repeated as gospel over the years, copied from copies up to the point where every mention adds credibility, while no one really knows where the original came from or why it is, or isn't, true.
The 55-38-7 rule claims that 55% of all communication is in body language, 38% in tonality and only 7% being verbal--words.
The original research pointing to these numbers was conducted by Albert Mehrabian in the 1960s. He showed that when using very few words (such as lets say, you're welcome, if I am to make up an example at random) the body language and tonality of the person change the meaning of the words completely.
Body language emphasizes and changes the taste of the words, indicating meaning and emotion. It is not a replacement. The rule being generalized to support body language experts and validity is ridiculous at best.
The debunking of the rule (which is still very relevant in the right context) is brilliantly done by Judith E. Pearson in an article which originally appeared in The Toastmaster magazine in January 2006.
You can read her very good article, here:
http://www.hodu.com/rule.shtml
Pinky.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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