7-38-55 Rule
Words carry 7% of meaning, tone 38%, body language 55% — so attend to delivery, not just content.
Mehrabian''s research — popularised in negotiation by Voss — argues that in emotionally-loaded communication, the actual words carry only 7 percent of perceived meaning, while tone and body language together carry the rest. The negotiation implication: your perfectly-crafted line can land as a threat, an apology, or an offer depending entirely on how you deliver it. You also need to attend to the same signals from the counterpart — when their words say "yes" but their tone says "I''m looking for an exit", believe the tone.
Example
Two scripts, identical words:
"Yes. We can do that." (downward, slow, eye contact) — signals genuine commitment.
"Yes, we can do that." (rushed, eyes flicking to phone) — signals doubt the counterpart will read as a maybe.
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