How much of communication is really nonverbal?
We all experience it on a daily basis. Communication for which no words are needed. Nonverbal communication, as it is called. One often quot ed statistic on communication is that 93% of all daily communication is actually nonverbal.
Do you know how much of communication is nonverbal?
You’ve probably heard it said that most of what we communicate is accomplished through nonverbal methods: 93 percent, to be exact. This came to be known as the 7% Rule, where all communication is only seven percent verbal and an overwhelming 93 percent non-verbal, specifically, body language and varying tones of speech.
What are 5 examples of non verbal communication?
Which is the best example of nonverbal communication?
- Keeping an upright posture. ...
- Expressing kindness or professionalism through touch. ...
- Displaying engaging facial expressions. ...
- Providing enough space to maintain a conversation. ...
- Using hand gestures to express feeling. ...
- Showing feeling through body movement.
What are facts about nonverbal communication?
Types of Non-Verbal Communication
- Body Language. This is one of the most recognizable types of non-verbal communication out there. ...
- Eye Contact/Lack Thereof. Eye contact is one of those non-verbal cues that tells a lot about how interested you are in what someone is saying.
- Facial Expressions. ...
- Dress. ...
- Gesticulation. ...
- Paralinguistic Cues. ...

What is the 7% rule?
Professor Mehrabian combined the statistical results of the two studies and came up with the now famous—and famously misused—rule that communication is only 7 percent verbal and 93 percent non-verbal. The non-verbal component was made up of body language (55 percent) and tone of voice (38 percent).
What percentage makes up non verbal communication?
It was Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, who first broke down the components of a face-to-face conversation. He found that communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only.
What is the 7 %- 38 %- 55 rule?
Drawing on the combined findings of the two studies, Mehrabian formulated the 7-38-55% rule with the formula: total liking = 7% verbal liking + 38% vocal liking + 55% facial liking.
What is the percentage of communication?
This came to be known as the 7% Rule, where all communication is only seven percent verbal and an overwhelming 93 percent non-verbal, specifically, body language and varying tones of speech. The numbers represent the percentages of importance that can be attributed to various forms of communication.
What percentage of communication is nonverbal quizlet?
Which percentage of communication is nonverbal? Up to 90% of communication is nonverbal.
What accounts for 55% of all communications?
body languageThe 7-38-55 rule indicates that only 7% of all communication is done through verbal communication, whereas the nonverbal component of our daily communication, such as the tonality of our voice and body language, make up 38% and 55% respectively.
What are 7 C's of communication?
The seven C's of communication are a list of principles for written and spoken communications to ensure that they are effective. The seven C's are: clarity, correctness, conciseness, courtesy, concreteness, consideration and completeness.
What are the 3 V's of communication?
When we do meet someone face to face, keep in mind that we have all three V's to communicate: VISUAL (how we look), VOCAL (how we sound), and VERBAL (what we say). Make sure each of these V's are aligned to avoid any miscommunication and to convey a powerful and professional image and message.
How Much of Communication is Non-Verbal?
This came to be known as the 7% Rule, where all communication is only seven percent verbal and an overwhelming 93 percent non-verbal, specifically, body language and varying tones of speech.
What Is Nonverbal Communication?
Nonverbal communication incorporates many areas that include physical expressions, posture, mannerisms, eye contact, gestures, tone of voice, and other ways people communicate without speaking. Your body language can either build trust in your listener, strengthening your message, or it can offend them and cause them to not believe in the information you are speaking to. You should stay away from smiles or laughter when addressing matters of a serious nature. You should also avoid glancing at clocks, your watch, or other possible distractions, as these will communicate disinterest in your information or even your audience.
Why is it important to be aware of what you are communicating?
Being aware of what we’re communicating is necessary to ensure that we are accurately conveying whatever message we want to get across. This awareness results in a higher degree of clarity increased trust, and stronger professional and personal relationships.
What percentage of vocals are facial?
Also, the first study consisted of an even earlier formula, the 60/40 percentage breakdown. This formula represented the comparison of importance between vocal, which is 40 percent, and facial, which is 60 percent, components relating to a person’s attitude.
Why do people record themselves rehearsing their speech?
Most public speakers video record themselves rehearsing their speech so they can see what their audience is seeing. You may also want to try this, and you may be surprised at what you observe about yourself! Do use this tool as an opportunity to improve your overall presentation and refine your skills.
What percentage of information is delivered through body language?
The numbers represent the percentages of importance that can be attributed to various forms of communication. Fifty-five percent of information delivered was determined to be through body language, 38 percent through the tone of voice, and only seven percent through the actual spoken words.
Why is tone considered nonverbal?
The tone of your voice is considered non-verbal because it can modify or even completely contradict your actual words. The tone of your voice includes the pitch, inflection, intensity, and volume. Again, be sincere and let your tone of voice enhance what you’re saying.
What percentage of communication is nonverbal?
He said that 7% of the information was gleaned from the word itself, whereas 93% of the information was nonverbal. That nonverbal component included body language (55%) and tone of voice 38%.
Why is nonverbal communication important?
As an interesting bonus, using nonverbal communication can also help you, the speaker, do a better job . Research has shown that gesturing while explaining things “lightens your cognitive load” and helps you think through problems as you’re talking. Of course, if you’re feeling more comfortable while communicating, your communication is likely to be more effective. So, that’s another role that nonverbal communication plays, of which most people aren’t aware.
Why is it important to be aware of nonverbal communication?
Staying aware of other people’s nonverbal signals will help you judge and meet people’s needs, understand where they’re coming from, and forge stronger connections.
Why do we use gestures in speaking?
On top of that, using gestures as a speaker can also help you think through your own points. It alleviates the “cognitive load” associated with speaking, and so it makes you a more natural and relaxed communicator.
How much of a speaker's communication is verbal?
According to many sources, including the New York Times, only 7% of a speaker’s communication is verbal. There’s only one problem with this number: it’s a total misunderstanding of the actual science! If you’re wondering how much of communication is nonverbal, in reality, the answer isn’t all that cut-and-dried.
Is there a number that describes the amount of communication that is nonverbal?
The bottom line is that most likely, there isn’t one single number that describes the amount of communication that is nonverbal.
Do nonverbal cues matter?
Bottom line: Although there’s no conclusive percentage of how much of communication is nonverbal, there’s no doubt that nonverbal cues matter. Words are only one of many “languages” we all speak.
How Much of Communication is Really Nonverbal? An Extensive Breakdown
Why 93% of communication is definitely not nonverbal and 5 key lessons we can learn from the fundamentally incorrect “7-38-55” rule.
The Story
Several months ago I was getting ready to re-do the Nonverbal Group website and I did an analysis of our backlinks. This is the process for discovering how many websites link to nonverbalgroup.com.
The Lessons
Considering the prevalence of this “rule” there are several takeaways.
How to increase accuracy in nonverbal communication?
One way of increasing your accuracy is by applying the 3 C's of Nonverbal Communication: context, clusters, and congruence. Context includes what environment the situation is taking place in, the history between the people, and other factors such as each person's role (for example, an interaction between a boss and employee).
What percentage of communication is body language?
The numbers represent the percentages of importance that varying communication channels have. The belief is that 55% of communication is body language, 38% is the tone of voice, and 7% is the actual words spoken.
What are the numbers associated with body language?
If there were ever numbers associated with body language and nonverbal communication, they would be 55, 38, and 7. People often refer to these numbers as the standard for understanding nonverbal communication and expressing its importance—specifically over the words being spoken.
Who is responsible for percentage breakdown?
The famous (at least in nonverbal communication circles!) researcher Albert Mehrabian is responsible for this percentage breakdown detailing the importance of nonverbal communication channels compared to verbal channels. Actually, it was two research studies (Mehrabian & Wiener, 1967 and Mehrabian & Ferris, 1967) combined that resulted in the 55/38/7 formula.
What are the two behaviors that people use to communicate?
As people talk during conversations, speakers and listeners often provide various combined verbal and nonverbal reactions indicating they understand, what they intend or are emphasizing, or to mask their intentions. Verbal and nonverbal behaviors get paired together. “Ok” is coupled with a nod of the head – a simple, under-utilized communication tool. If you’re a nodder, you’re awesome. Cues like nodding signal “continue” to a speaker. Eye contact – also simple, and quite under-rated. Conversely, listeners might display puzzled facial expressions or say “hold on a second” in an attempt to signal a lack of understanding. These cues may allow your conversational partner to pause, reassess and help you both focus on points of difficulty.
Why is it harmful to look at communication?
This is just one of them. It’s a harmful way to look at communication because it treats communication like a variable rather than a process. It also weirdly assumes that receivers can infer some exact percentage of the sender’s intended meaning, which isn’t really knowable.
Where Did This Myth About Communication Come From?
The history of this insidious little nugget stems back to 1967. Albert Mehrabian, a famous psychologist, published two studies about “message incongruence.” Message incongruence, for Mehrabian, was a situation where a speaker’s verbal and nonverbal behavior did not match. Mehrabian observed how frequently people made decisions when a speaker’s words “said” one thing but the nonverbal behavior “said” something else. This was the crux of his investigation.
How is dominance expressed?
Dominance is often expressed nonverbally. Men dominate women nonverbally all the time in all sorts of ways through their posturing and “manspreading.”
Is nonverbal communication a good thing?
Nonverbal communication is a wonderful, nuanced, interesting aspect of communicating. We can’t attribute a percentage to how much meaning we draw from it, and why would we want to? Simplistic rules-based thinking about communication is the enemy. How we connect with one another is a far too wondrous process to leave it to that.
Is communication a process or a variable?
Verbal and nonverbal elements interact in communication. Communication is a process, not a variable. I admit that distinguishing between “verbal” and “nonverbal” seems like an intuitive, smart choice. It’s an easy way to get a handle on something that can be overwhelming.
Is communication a dynamic process?
To psychologists, and many others, communication is just a variable and not a dynamic process. This view was common at the time of Mehrabian’s research and mostly persists through psychology today. There is evidence of this abound. Psychology’s view of communication is constrained in very particular ways that limit abilities to understand ...
What percentage of nonverbal communication is used in communication?
According to body language experts, the percentage of nonverbal communication we use to communicate with one another is around 60% to 65%
How much of communication is through body language?
The data from his study showed that 55% of communication was through body language, 38% through tone, and only 7% of the actual content (the words they say)
Why is body language important?
The use of body language is so important because it enables us to express our feelings and emotions without relying on words and sentences which people might not understand. According to the research in this study, non-verbal communication is essential regardless of what specific number we assign to it. It’s more than half of communication and we all know that naturally. If you enjoyed reading this post, check out our other post on body language here.
How many different tones are there in the voice?
There are three different aspects to the tone of voice, which are known as the “Three Tones”. These include:
What is tone of voice?
The tone of voice is how you convey your mood, personality, and attitude in written communication. The tone of voice may be seen as an aspect of style in which the writer is able to demonstrate her personal preferences.
Should we ignore nonverbal communication?
Should we ignore non-verbal communication? No not at all and rule communication is extremely important and in the original research, there was an important message that Mehrabian was trying to communicate. The message is simple it’s about incongruency.
Is 93% 7% non-verbal communication rule actually true?
There were a number of studies conducted in the late 1960s by a doctor named Albert Mehrabian and he was looking at non- verbal communication & the impact non-verbal communication has on it.

Debunking “The 7% Rule”
No Single Number Describes The Amount of Communication That Is Nonverbal
- Although much less commonly cited, there’s another researcher who tried to find this out. His name was Ray Birdwistell, and he was the founder of kinesics, a field of study concerned with human movement. Birdwistell believed that between 60% and 70% of human communication is nonverbal. As compelling as it may be, Birdwhistell’s work never picked up...
So, How Much of Communication Is nonverbal, Really?
- Despite these points, it’s clear to most people, including scientists, that nonverbal communication is a big part of our lives. For a reliable understanding of nonverbal communication and its value, you can look deeper into studies that show the impact of communicating things using body language.
Scientifically Supported Nonverbal Communication Techniques
- By now, you’re probably convinced that nonverbal communication is important. But practically speaking, which techniques are most useful in business and social settings? There’s some science to help with that, too. Here are a few of the most effective nonverbal communication techniques that you can use to round out your own communication skills, beyond just your words:
Use Your Words—And Your Face, Hands, and Tone, Too
- Bottom line: Although there’s no conclusive percentage of how much of communication is nonverbal, there’s no doubt that nonverbal cues matter. Words are only one of many “languages” we all speak. Once you see how all these other kinds of communication come into play, you can start to create a more robust style of communication. You can make yourself more relatable an…