Mehrabian Model – Fact or Myth?

➡️ Busting Common Myths   (1)

✅How many times, have we not heard, the much touted Mehrabian Framework of Communication?

✅Alfred Mehrabian, Prof  of Psychology, University of California, developed a  #communication  frame work in 1967, which is often quoted to this day.

✅According to this framework, 93% of Communication is Nonverbal.

✅55% Appearance or Image,
Body #language  facial expressions, etc.

✅38% Voice, (the main instrument of Communication) modulation, tonality etc.

✅That leaves only 7% for your actual words, Verbal Communication.

The less known facts of the Mehrabian framework are:

Mehrabian’s study, was not about Communication, per se.

The purpose of the study was only to understand ‘Silent Messages’, the name of the book he later wrote.

The purpose of the study was, to show that, Communication goes beyond Words, when it comes to emotions & attitudes.

The experiment was done on a small (non representative) group
of college students. To the best of my knowledge, they were all female students only.

The study never related to Communicating Information, but to understand how people communicate, Feelings, Emotions and Attitudes.

His main insight was, that when words are not in congruence with the non verbal (silent) messages, it’s the non-verbal that will weigh over your words.

Realising how his study had been misconstrued, Mehrabian published his book ‘Silent Messages’, in1971.

In the book,  he clarified, that the misconception of Verbal being only 7%, was a ‘dangerous Myth’ and a gross misrepresentation of his experiment.

This is what he says on his website:

”Please note that these equations, regarding relative importance of Verbal & Non Verbal were derived from experiments, dealing with feelings and attitudes alone.

Unless the communicator is talking about  Feelings and Attitudes, these equations are NOT applicable.”

➡️Non Verbal is Certainly Important.

➡️But In an increasingly online world, where you have less ‘person’ to see, choice of  right words, becomes more  important.

➡️In commonly used digital communication channels, WhatsApp, emails  etc.,
all you have are your words and your keyboard.

➡️ It may well be that, in today’s world, appropriate words & language matter more than the commonly believed 7%

➡️The time may be ripe to re-think the importance of Language.

➡️Would love to hear your views and experiences in the comments.