6th September 2022
I hope you enjoyed last week’s thought; “Breaking Through!” about overcoming the things that hold us back from communicating truthfully and with authority so people take us seriously.
You can see previous blogs below.
I have been helping business owners and leaders who struggle to be taken seriously and to communicate with more impact and authority. Often people assume that if someone is an entrepreneur or leader of some kind, then they must be brilliant communicators and many are.
Others just get by, but know deep down that they could get much better results than they do currently if they knew how to communicate more effectively.
And I cannot emphasis enough how important it is to understand what gets in the way of us communicating effectively before we get into upskilling. But here is one invaluable tip that will help you and / or your colleagues right away …
TIP – The 7-38-55 Rule
You could be making mistakes without realising that could so easily be rectified.
Non-verbal cues like body language and tone of voice can communicate more about a person’s feelings than their words. Research was done around how much impact our words, tone of voice and body language have in face-to-face conversations.
Dr Albert Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 rule is a theory that seeks to quantify how much of what we intend to say is communicated via verbal and non-verbal channels.
- Our body language has 55% impact
- Our tone of voice has 38% impact
- Our words have just 7% impact
So, what does this tell us?
Learning how to apply the 7-38-55 rule will help you to understand what other people are communicating and better control your own messaging.
For example; if you’re in a meeting, looking down most of the time and not making eye contact with people in the room, then you are probably repelling people.
And here’s why …
When we avoid making eye contact with people, we appear to be closed off, less approachable and people may find it difficult to relate to and trust us so they are less likely to take us seriously.
This doesn’t mean that you have to stare at people though, that would be to the other extreme! What to do instead? Just be intentional about how you show up, be approachable, present, smile (when appropriate), make eye contact and listen to people. That goes such a long way.
Do you find yourself making this mistake?
If not, how do you feel about those who do?
Hit reply and let me know!
As always, I will be in touch again with more thoughts and tips on how you, and / or your team can be more effective communicators.
So, if you, or one of your colleagues is ready to explore this further, you / they can book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with me! There is absolutely no obligation. After 30 minutes, you / they will have gained more clarity on the next steps, empowering you / them to thrive.
“When we fear what other people think about us, we are frequently more focused on ‘being interesting’ and less focused on ‘taking an interest.’ That’s why many people talk a great deal when they are anxious and why many people never feel heard. If both people and conversation are trying to be interesting, there is no one left to genuinely listen.”
-John Yokoyama-
[“When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace from the World-Famous Pike Place Fish Market”]
As always, I will leave you with that thought!
With best wishes for your success.
Korinne
Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training
P.S. I still have a few places for The Communication Code Group Coaching Programme starting on October 20th. Click HERE to find out more.