Layers of Communication

 It's a fairly widely known statistic that only about 7-10% of what is communicated in a face-to-face conversation is conveyed by the verbal content and the language itself. An additional 40% of the entire message is communicated in tone of voice, and about another 50% is communicated through body language. Though many of us have heard this, we are not always conscious of this when we are communicating to others at a distance via technology. It is better to show than tell, however, so below is an exercise in which the exact same message is communicated in three different ways: Through email, voice mail, and face-to-face:

http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

Just reading the email alone, it reads as a genuine but urgent request for an ETA on a project that may affect the deadline of a colleague. There is reassurance in the email, in phrases such as "I know you're busy.." but it is hard to tell if this is "true" reassurance and understanding, or merely "couching language," or language used to pad or prep the reader for the upcoming discomfort. What comes across most in this first exchange, to me, was "worry." She really needs this ETA or she'll miss her deadline. She's likely using couching language to mask her desperation...

Then, I listened to the phone message. In the phone message, the reassurance comes across more strongly, and I got less of an impression of worry or urgency, though it is still there. Hearing the actual voice allows certain words to be emphasized. The "I really appreciate your help" comes across strongly. Most of the voice mail sounds as though she's reading from a cue card, which reduces the sense of urgency in the message.

Finally, the face-to-face message was least alarming. The tone of voice sounds even more calm than the voice recording (unfortunately this may be due to the fact that they are different actresses/voices for the voice mail and face-to-face, which is an unfortunate variable in the experiment). In the face-to-face communication, she begins with a polite smile and has a relaxed body pressure. The feeling of worry that I got from the first message does not come across here. Her level of deference makes me want to fulfill her request sooner, rather than feeling obligated to as the email made me feel.

This exercise is an important reminder to choose your method of communication wisely. If you are working in a group, discussing sensitive subjects with more emotional gravitas should probably be left for face-to-face or a Skype call (or Adobe connect, etc.). However, email is expedient and is great for task-oriented messages, so long as the sender remembers that a lot of the intended tone could or will be lost in translation.

For your consideration: Here is another similar experiment that I think has better controls. It concerns "the halo effect" as it relates to attraction. A male actor reads the exact same words that are a sample dating profile to be filmed on a webcam for potential dates to view. In one version, he reads the words with a negative tone of voice (and facial expression to match). In the second version, he reads the words with an upbeat tone. One group of girls watches the first video. A second group of girls watches the second video. The experiment and there reactions can be found here: