One of our subscribers who replied to the last article, Interpersonal communication: coding the response, stated that emails can effectively convey tone of voice and body language. Let’s explore this proposal.
In interpersonal communication, the two-way channel implicitly means that the Sender wants to “imply” something and that the Receiver needs to “infer” this identical thing. In the most effective interpersonal communications, implication and inference are one and the same. The way and the degree to which these diverge, however, reduces the effectiveness of communication and, in the extreme, results in a complete lack of communication. How do tone of voice and body language contribute to this?
Tone of voice is said to account for 35% of interpersonal communication. When the speaker can be heard, all elements of the voice can be apprehended. These elements include volume, tone, inflection, emphasis, irony, intonation, emotion, pause, modulation, excitement, passion, boredom, hesitation, etc. In a written communication, it may be possible to infuse some tone of voice, although this is quite difficult and generally incomplete. As a result, it is riddled with potential misunderstandings.
This is particularly true in the case of emails. Emails tend to be short, and most often written quickly and then delivered immediately. Generally, the element of tone is overlooked. Even if one focused on tone and extensively edited email before sending it, communication would inevitably be poor in tone of voice, compared to interpersonal communication. In fact, hearing something has a huge impact.
Body language represents 55% of interpersonal communication. Covers a wide range of traits: nodding, smiling, frowning, shrugging, winking, making eye contact or moving, arms crossed or open, bending over, gesturing, posture, hand movements, yawning, lifting eyebrows, gape, roll eyes, tease, etc. . These are attributes that must be seen in order to be recognized and processed.
However, there are many situations in which interpersonal communication occurs solely through body language: there are no words or sounds. Mimes do complete routines, using only body language. Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were virtuosos in the silent film era (yes, there was a time before movies integrated speech).
Another example of this is people walking through a mall. If viewed from above, it would look quite similar to an anthill. There are many things that slip away in a seemingly random way, but no one bumps into others. How do we negotiate, coordinate and manage all this without talking to each other?
Much of this action occurs on the subconscious level using a variety of subtle indicators. Direction intent is often indicated by small eye movements or other facial expressions. It can also be tilted in the desired direction. Preventive measures can be taken to occupy a space or the speed can be reduced to vacate a space.
All of this happens in real time and everyone sends and receives messages. The next time you are in a mall, pay attention to how we communicate using body language and you will conclude that we are having a great non-verbal conversation.
By definition, body language must be considered to have an effect. When reading an email, the sender cannot be seen and therefore the body language that might accompany it cannot be determined. This brings us back to the conclusion of the last article: an email, at best, can have only 10% of an interpersonal communication, because it lacks both tone of voice and body language, all it has is the words.
