What did Mehrabian’s experiments actually show?

How people read feelings in single words said in a conflicting tone. The experiments were narrow: single words about feelings and a clash between word and tone. The author himself warns against applying the numbers to ordinary speech.

What’s the best way to use eye contact with a room?

One thought per person, then someone in another part of the room. That way each person you look at gets real contact, and the room feels spoken to.

Why gesture if the room can barely see you, like on an audio-only call?

Gestures help the speaker find words. When people were stopped from gesturing, their speech became less fluent (Rauscher, Krauss and Chen, 1996).

Eyes, hands, posture

Lesson 11 of 16 in the course “Speak with Confidence”. Free, with animations and a quiz.

The 93% myth

You’ve probably heard that words carry only 7% of meaning and the rest is tone and gestures. It’s a retelling of psychologist Albert Mehrabian’s 1967 experiments, where people heard single words about feelings spoken in a contradicting tone. Mehrabian himself stresses that these numbers don’t apply to ordinary speech. In a talk, what you say comes first. Body and voice either help the meaning or get in its way.

One thought, one person

Darting eyes read as anxiety; looking at the ceiling or the slides reads as talking to yourself. A simple rule: hold your gaze on one person for a whole thought, then move to someone in another part of the room. That way everyone feels spoken to. Norms for direct eye contact vary across cultures: in some places a long gaze is respect, in others it’s pressure. Watch how the room responds.

Hands help you think

Gestures aren’t only for the audience. In a 1996 experiment by Rauscher, Krauss and Chen, people were stopped from gesturing and their speech became less fluent, especially when describing something spatial. Hands help the brain find words. Let them show size, direction and counting, and rest them calmly between gestures. Don’t hide them in your pockets or click a pen.

How to stand

A steady stance is the base for both your voice and your calm. Both feet on the floor, shoulder-width apart, weight even. Crown of the head up, shoulders down: breathing is freer, and so is your voice. Rocking from foot to foot gives away nerves and distracts. If you want to move, move on purpose: a step to the side with a new thought, then stand still while you make it.

When you speak online

On a call, the audience’s eyes are the camera, not the faces on your screen. Look at the faces, and viewers see you looking down. Raise the camera to eye level, put the light in front of you and speak with a bit more energy than in real life: the screen dampens it. This lesson’s trainer is exactly that: 30 seconds into your phone camera, then a checklist.

Check yourself

What did Mehrabian’s experiments actually show?
Correct answer: How people read feelings in single words said in a conflicting tone. The experiments were narrow: single words about feelings and a clash between word and tone. The author himself warns against applying the numbers to ordinary speech.
What’s the best way to use eye contact with a room?
Correct answer: One thought per person, then someone in another part of the room. That way each person you look at gets real contact, and the room feels spoken to.
Why gesture if the room can barely see you, like on an audio-only call?
Correct answer: Gestures help the speaker find words. When people were stopped from gesturing, their speech became less fluent (Rauscher, Krauss and Chen, 1996).

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