Jumping Over the Barriers to Impactful Communication

A lot of people are afraid of approaching strangers for the first time and for good reason. Like when you need to ask for directions, or you are looking for someone. You need some really important answers and in your head, the person can either give you right ones or would not just talk to you because of the circumstance.

Now imagine this scenario, in a meeting where you need to achieve a concrete outcome - results that can change your life for better or worse - wouldn’t you want to know the best way to communicate your ideas? Of course, the answer is a big yes!

It is a good thing that studies have been conducted to find out the best way to communicate your ideas, and it surprisingly has very little to do with the words. Read on and find out how communication is a product of three different facets of a person and you can use those facets to get your message across.

The Disconnect

Preparation is key to a great presentation. You write down the message and are given the time to think of the best words to do it. But there would be times when no matter what you say, you just could not get the message across or the get the reaction you want. A good reason might be being disconnected with what you are saying and how you are saying it. People easily see this and often times it dictates what they are going to feel about you and your message. So to overcome it, you have to be aware of the three V’s that properly explains it.

The Three V’s (Albert Mehrabian's principle)

Albert Mehrabian was able to decipher the disconnect and came up with the communication model that shows only 7% of the message we want to give is just the literal content of the message. In other words, that is just the words and obviously, the other parts shall carry a more significant weight in your effectiveness as a speaker.

To complete the formula, the other facets of communication include the vocal tonality which is basically the tone, intonation, and volume of the voice. This takes a very substantial 38% of the equation.

The last would be your body language. A lot of what you hear can never compare with what you see, like the swaying of the hips, the hand gestures, the tapping of the foot. These gestures, no matter how minor, affect the perception of the audience - and it is the beast that should be tamed. A good explanation for this is the time when man did not even have a developed voice to utter his words. Men and women purely used body language to communicate with each other. This method has been carried on in our genes and it just makes for the easiest way to communicate with each other.

How to Make the Formula Work for You

The Verbals

Of all the elements mentioned, this is the only thing that you can consciously control which makes it just as important as the other elements of your message.

You have to be aware of who your audience is and choose the words that you want to use based on that. Jargon would be fine when the audience is very niche, but not when there is a majority who don’t know highly technical terms and acronyms. For credibility, correct grammar will help your audience understand you better and not be distracted by this “hiccup.” And for character, always relate the words to your audience in such a way that it’s not forced nor self-serving. Build a conversation and not a presentation.

Vocal (Tonality)

Once the words are thought of, the next step is to say them with the right volume, tone, and intonation to get the message. Seems easy enough, but there are a lot of people who do not understand the connection and decide to talk with wanton abandonment. People do not just hear words. They also hear and read the message of your tone. So if you are “tone” deaf, you might want to study how great people speak. You don’t have to copy their styles, but you just have to take note of the approach that they take for the factual messages versus the important ones. There is always a discernable difference because that is what we use to create the subtleties of our messages that deeply affect the way they are perceived.

Visual

What you see is exactly what you believe. Your posture, the facial expressions that you use, and the other physical gestures far resonate with your audience than the words that you use and this gives it a whopping 55% of the equation.

Communication is a human experience and we all recognize what we mean when we put our hands inside our pockets, or when we uncontrollably shake on stage. A wry smile would often show uncertainty, the enlargement of the eyes show shock or amazement and the tears often bring us to an emotional level. And because it really comes off naturally, there is hardly any way to control it other than to experience it first hand and be able to consciously replicate it when the need arises. Your body language leaves nothing to the imagination and it simply adds to the authenticity of your intentions more than anything else.

Now that you recognize how overpowering the visual is, it is easier to understand how dominant it could be in the delivery of your message and it should be considered every time you say something to a live audience.

And from this aspect, your knowledge of the person in front of you definitely comes to play. You will not talk the way you to talk to your dad in the same way you do with your boss. This is because you know dad in a certain way and he obviously does too. Focus on your relationship with your audience and your body will instinctively find the right approach to deal with the person in front of you.

Learn how to communicate with impact. Join us in one of Jacky Lim’s Sharing Sessions. This two-hour intimate session will provide you with a glimpse of how these concepts are integrated in NLP and how these can create breakthroughs in your life.

Call us now or simply fill out our inquiry form to book the seat reserved just for you!