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Mehrabian's Communication Model

Article • 7 min read

Mehrabian's
Communication Model
Learning to Communicate Clearly

MTCT By the Mind Tools Content Team

Have you ever opened an email from a

colleague and misinterpreted the words
on the screen?

Perhaps you felt the message was

critical of you or your work, when in fact
that wasn't what the writer intended at
all. Or maybe you've had the experience
of speaking with a client over the phone
and knowing, just from their tone of
voice, that you're not going to get the
sale this time.

Communication is made up of more than

just the words we use. Our tone of voice,
facial expression and body language all
play a major role in how we're
understood. And if we're communicating
in a situation where we can't use all of
these elements to enhance our
messages, we need to be very careful.

You might well have heard the popular

statistic that only seven percent of any
message is conveyed through the words
you choose. The other 93 percent is
allegedly found in subtle clues like your
tone of voice and body language. This
claim stems from a study done by
psychologist Albert Mehrabian in the late
sixties. But beware, it's all too often
misquoted!

In this article we'll explain what

Mehrabian's Communication Model
really says, and look at how you can use
its findings in your everyday life.

Mehrabian's Communication
Model

In 1967, in a study titled "Inference of

Attitudes from Nonverbal
Communication in Two Channels,"
psychologist Albert Mehrabian revealed
groundbreaking new data, relating to the
relative importance of verbal and
nonverbal messages. [1]

In his original study, Mehrabian

considered different combinations of
"positive," "neutral," and "negative"
attitude, as expressed through both
facial expressions and tone of voice.

For example, he used the word "maybe"

to test how well people could judge the
feelings of others. As a word, "maybe"
was considered to be neutral in meaning.
It was then read to participants using a
positive, neutral, and negative tone of
voice, and listeners had to judge the
attitude of the speaker, based primarily
on their tone of voice.

The study allowed Mehrabian to consider

the relative importance of three
elements in our communication: words,
tone of voice, and facial expression. He
wanted to discover which carried the
most weight in order to know whether
we listen more to what people say, or to
how they're saying it.

When his research was complete,

Mehrabian concluded that, in situations
dealing with feelings and attitudes, facial
expression was the most significant
element, followed by tone of voice. The
actual words spoken were least
important for communication.

As part of his work, Mehrabian, also

studied the effects of "inconsistent
communication," where a particular
facial expression or tone of voice was
clearly at odds with the words being
used. So, when there is incongruence in
this way, what will people actually pay
most attention to? Do they respond to
words, tone of voice, or body language?

Mehrabian once again deduced that

people will respond to body language
and voice tone over verbal, or word
choice. For instance, if the words "Go
away!" are said with a positive vocal tone
(even though the meaning itself is
negative), the listener will likely interpret
the experience as positive.

Using his overall findings, Mehrabian

created this formula for the relative
importance of the different components
of communication about emotions or
attitudes:

Total Emotion/Attitude Communicated

= 7 percent Verbal + 38 percent Vocal +
55 percent Facial

Since its publication, Mehrabian's study

has become very well known, both in
communication literature and the
popular media. But it's all too often
misquoted and misinterpreted.

The misinterpretation occurs when

people assume that his formula applies
to all communication situations. But
Mehrabian clarifies on his website that
his study dealt only with
communications involving feelings and
attitudes. He states that "Unless a
communicator is talking about their
feelings or attitudes, these equations are
not applicable."

How to Use Mehrabian's

Communication Model

So, how can you correctly apply

Mehrabian's Communication Model to
your life?

Knowing about the model can be useful

in email communications when you're
relaying sensitive or emotional
information. In these situations, without
input from facial expression or tone of
voice, you'll need to take extra care
choosing the words in your message.
Without nonverbal clues, words and
meaning can easily be misinterpreted.
(This is why emoticons are so useful
when you're writing an informal email.)

It's also useful for telephone

conversations . Remember that without
facial cues, your tone of voice and word
choice will have more impact. Be aware
of your tone when you're speaking, and
choose your words carefully. Make sure
that they match your actual intention and
message. This is, of course, particularly
important when you're speaking about a
highly sensitive or emotional issue.

You can use the model to guide your

actions. For instance, imagine that you
need to give some negative feedback
to a colleague. Because body language
and facial expression are so important
when expressing your feelings about his
or her performance, you know that
relaying this feedback in person (rather
than via email or over the phone) will
increase the odds of no undue offense
being taken. You'll be able to get across
your true intentions and message more
clearly if you can use both facial
expression and vocal tone. You'll also be
able to see your colleague's reaction
immediately, and, if necessary, adjust
your message appropriately.

Mehrabian's model can also be applied in

meetings. Imagine you're giving a
presentation about a project you care
about deeply. As you speak about your
commitment to the project, your body
language and facial expressions are
going to relay your genuine emotions far
more than the words you're speaking. If
your audience needs convincing, the way
that you deliver your message will be
critical.

The model can also be useful in

interviews . When you're speaking with
a particular candidate, pay close
attention to how they answer
emotionally-charged questions. For
instance, "What excites you about the
possibility of working for this company?"
would be a good one. Their facial
expression and vocal tone should let you
know if they're truly interested in
becoming part of the team or if they're
just after a paycheck.

Key Points

Mehrabian's Communication
Model suggests that people tend
to respond to body language and
tone of voice over word choice,
particularly if the message being
communicated is emotionally-
charged or sensitive.

The model can help us to make

sure that, when we communicate,
we make that message clear not
only in our choice of words, but
also in our facial expressions, tone
of voice and body language. By
doing this we can minimize
miscommunication and
misunderstanding.

References

[1] Mehrabian, A. (1967.)

'Inference of Attitudes From
Nonverbal Communication in
Two Channels ,' Journal of
Consulting Psychology, 31(3),
p249-252.

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