Albert Mehrabian – You know him? If not, you can Google him, or Wikipedia (is that a verb?) him. He’s currently a professor of psychology at UCLA, and known best by his formula entitled the “7%-38%-55% Rule.” Simply put, his findings concluded that when we are communicating, 7% of our message is communicated verbally, 38% from vocal tone, and 55% from visual cues (body language).
So that’s it from a high level. Of course, these findings can’t be taken literally. He’s not talking about all communication situations, and he’s talking more about communicating emotions rather than the meaning behind your words. Regardless, many people structure their messages from a business perspective with these rules in mind.
I can’t say that I agree with him. Not completely, at least. If you want to know why his stats can’t be taken literally, shoot over to Olivia Mitchell’s blog post about this very topic. She does a great job breaking it down. I’d like to talk a little bit about how your presentation is far more than just those three elements, and certainly not in those amounts.
Creating a presentation is tough, don’t you think? Hey, I’m no Rosetta Stone claiming I can EASILY teach you how to speak another language. I took Spanish for 6 years – it ain’t easy! Neither is presenting. It’s tough. It’s scary. It’s not something that can be “winged.” Most people are ill prepared to present. Combine that with the terrifying thought of speaking in front of a room full of your peers, and it’s a recipe for disaster. However, with an honest effort to focus on each piece of the presentation puzzle, there is hope.
An effective presentation combines many different elements. I promise you – if you just focus on body language and a pseudo-passionate vocal tone, you will fail. Your slides will bore them to death. You will look oh-so-unprepared (because you probably are), and your message will simply vanish. A presentation is like a baseball team. You need someone at every position. You could have the best pitcher in the league, but if you don’t have any outfielders, I’m running to the casino to bet against you.
Simply put, Mehrabian’s “Rule” can not be taken literally in a presentation setting. Yes, body language is very important. Yes, tone is important. Those are just a couple pieces of the puzzle though.
- Your words are VERY important. They are the vehicle for your story. Don’t ever think you can wing it because you are a “fun guy” to be around.
- Your preparation is important. Without preparation, you’re story living in a straw hut rather than a sturdy log cabin. It can come tumbling down at any minute (and probably will).
- Practicing is important. A presentation is always better after you’ve practiced it. Hands down. I’m not even going to argue any further.
- Construction is important. Your presentation must be constructed in a way that keeps the audience interested and engaged, which means taking twists and turns along the way. Re-engage them with a short video, an activity, or a quick dialogue.
Do I think anyone in the presentation world takes the 7%-38%-55% Rule literally? No. I’m not trying to debunk his findings. In whatever bubble that experiment took place in, I’m sure his findings were appropriate. We don’t live in that bubble though, at least not in respect to presentations. Presentations can be wonderful, but they include many ingredients.
If nothing else, remember that your story is important. Behind that story are words, tones, body language, visually engaging slide designs (hopefully!), weeks of preparation, storyboards, rough drafts, practices, and more. Make sure you give all the elements of presentation design their fair share of attention.
