Words do Matter In Workplace Communication

  • 1 min read


Since the 1970s, communication experts have been citing research results released by Dr. Albert Mehrabian on the related value of three vital components of human communication: words, tone & body language.

Mehrabian’s report reinforced reports released in the late 60s by the Journal of Consulting Psychology and the Journal of Personality and Psychology.

That research claimed that in a very limited scope of interpersonal communication that the message conveyed was impacted 57% by the body language of the communicator, 38% by the tone and only about 7% from the words.

This communication model is now called, “The Mehrabian Myth.”

I believe, in most every context, words have significantly greater impact, as a recent client experience points out.

My client is the CIO of a major division at her company. The division she oversees is named CCIS for Central City Information Services.

She and I have been working together to create a more engaged, motivated workforce in a public governmental setting.

To do so we’ve created formats for employees to interact more, share ideas and make higher-level contributions to the future of their division. It’s been a refreshing approach after years of stagnancy in the division and its leadership.

After a recent coaching session, my client decided to change the name of her division to be more inline with what she wants it to become.

It’s a subtle change. So subtle it will not even change the division’s acronym of CCIS. The new name will be Central City Innovation Services.

Notice the difference between what “information” and “innovation” conveys.

Providing “information services” in the public sector (or any sector for that matter) is reactive. This is what this division has been facing for years as it tries to react to the requests that come in from other departments and divisions in their city.

My client wants her division to become proactive, bringing ideas for innovative city services to their internal customers and stakeholders.

Just one word shifts the focus and the expectations for 36 employees in this division.

Making this shift do not require any tone or body language to make it 100% understandable, inspiring and motivational.

That’s the power of one word, by itself.

Leaders must start paying more attention to the words they use to make their messages more powerful, inspirational and motivational.

Trending around the web:
Picture of Skip Weisman

Skip Weisman

Skip Weisman, The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert, has worked with business leaders and their teams to transform both individual and organizational performance in industries from banks to plumbers since 2001. Skip’s experience helping his clients has shown that the biggest problems in workplaces today can be directly traced to interpersonal communication between people in the work environment. Having spent 20 years in professional baseball management, his first career in which he served as CEO for five different franchises, has given Skip tremendous insights and skills for build high-performing teams.  To help small business leaders create a championship culture with employees performance at the highest levels, Skip recently published this white paper report The Missing Ingredient Necessary to Improve Employee Performance. Download a free copy of this report at The Missing Ingredient Necessary to Improve Employee Performance. During a 20-year career in professional baseball management, Skip served as CEO for five different franchises. That experience gave Skip tremendous insight and skill for building high-performing teams in the workplace and championship cultures.

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

Feeling lost at 45, 55, or 65 doesn’t always mean something went wrong — for many people, it’s just what a real transition feels like before the next thing comes into focus

Feeling lost at 45, 55, or 65 doesn’t always mean something went wrong — for many people, it’s just what a real transition feels like before the next thing comes into focus

The Vessel
Behavioral science suggests people are held back from reaching out by a fear of intruding — but recipients, in study after study, report feeling something much closer to gratitude

Behavioral science suggests people are held back from reaching out by a fear of intruding — but recipients, in study after study, report feeling something much closer to gratitude

The Blog Herald
The families that find their way back to warmth after a long stretch of distance often don’t do it through one big repair — they do it through a hundred small ordinary moments that quietly add up

The families that find their way back to warmth after a long stretch of distance often don’t do it through one big repair — they do it through a hundred small ordinary moments that quietly add up

The Vessel
A Pew survey of 6,000 Americans found that most people still call their mother first when life gets hard

A Pew survey of 6,000 Americans found that most people still call their mother first when life gets hard

The Blog Herald
Coming of age in the 1970s often meant being independent well before anyone checked if you were ready — and many people raised that way are still not entirely sure how to ask for a hand

Coming of age in the 1970s often meant being independent well before anyone checked if you were ready — and many people raised that way are still not entirely sure how to ask for a hand

The Vessel
Psychology says the generation that grew up in the 1970s possesses a rare form of mental endurance because they were the last generation allowed to fail, get hurt, and figure it out without an adult intervening

Psychology says the generation that grew up in the 1970s possesses a rare form of mental endurance because they were the last generation allowed to fail, get hurt, and figure it out without an adult intervening

The Blog Herald
Load more
CATEGORIES
Explore