Body language is an important part of every conversation, but it only tells part of the story.

Experienced poker players know how important it is to identify an opponent’s tells. These physical habits, unique to every person who displays them, can be triggered whenever someone is excited or worried. None will last for long and they do not reveal much information if they happen once or twice, but a subtle twitch, scratch or look in the eyes will become important when repeated over the course of a game.

Secrets about the cards are revealed along the way.

It is just one way that body language can communicate an idea. “We all display non-verbal cues,” says Suzette Lewis, a professional conflict mediator. “These are the things that humanize us.” But even though these cues can hold hidden meanings, they are merely part of a story, much like the punctuation in a sentence.

The urban myth that the majority of a conversation is conveyed through body language is largely linked to research by Albert Mehrabian. Exposing test subjects to a woman saying “maybe” in three tones of voice and pictures of facial expression to convey liking, neutrality and disliking, he established a formula to suggest that “Total Liking” was 7% verbal, 38% vocal and 55% facial. Over time, people began to generalize the information to suggest that all communication was 7% spoken word, 38% tone of voice, and 55% body language.

Of course if that was true, a written e-mail would rarely convey a thought. Phone calls would be relatively useless. Language differences would be meaningless.

“This and other equations regarding relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages were derived from experiments dealing with communications of feelings and attitudes,” Mehrabian actually stressed. “Unless a communicator is talking about their feelings or attitudes, these equations are not applicable.”

But people can use general ideas about the importance of body language when trying to determine the true feelings behind spoken words. “It is a package,” Lewis explains. “You have to be aware [that] communication is not the same for everyone.”

To view this article in its entirety, go to page 28 of the Fall 2010 issue.
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Funded by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program, the Canadian Trucking HR Council (CTHRC) is an incorporated not-for-profit organizations that helps attract, train and retain workers for Canada’s trucking industry. For more information, visit www.cthrc.com.