Communication is made up of the words we use, the tone of our voice and the gestures we use to convey the emotions behind the words.
In the 1960’s Dr Albert Mehrabian, an eminent behavioural psychologist, studied the impact of communication and concluded that human communication can be broken down into THREE distinctive areas: body language, tone of voice and spoken words – and most people are surprised to find that what is said carries less significance than the way it is said and how the body interprets the words.
Perhaps most of your business is now conducted over the ‘phone or by video link, but does this ‘new normal’ world of work mean that we communicate in a different way?
Non-verbal skills are even more important now than they were before this global pandemic. With the Covid-19 crisis forcing most people to reduce face- to-face contact and to work remotely using video links and the telephone to interact with customers and colleagues, the importance of using facial expressions and voice tonality has dramatically increased.
We believe that anyone who develops strong non-verbal communication skills in today’s ‘new normal’ world is going to benefit significantly in the future.
Non-verbal communication can help gain trust, confidence and respect much quicker than words alone can …… non-verbal communication ‘talks’ all the time!
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But what does all this mean for telephone communication?
Recent research suggests that we can detect whether someone is frowning, slouching or smiling, even if there is no visual contact between two people. This is because posture affects the tone of the voice, therefore the ‘Circle of Communication’ for non-visual communication alters to tone of voice (how we say it), approximately 75% and the words we use (what we say), approximately 25%.
“Speech is power: Speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”— Ralph Emerson
Understanding the importance of the tone of your voice during a ‘phone call is the first step to a successful conversation. The second step to bear in mind is that there is no visual contact on the ‘phone and our body language can’t actually be seen; but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be using body and facial gestures ……. by using appropriate gestures, our body language will be absorbed into the tone of our voice because each gesture will affect the sound as it comes out of our mouth!
Both voice and gestures will affect whether people want to listen to your employees, whether they trust them and whether they can motivate your customers to take action!
We have a background in Coaching and Performance and are trained and experienced in all aspects of communication. Our coaching will help your staff develop the power of their voice and show them how to use body language in their everyday communication; we’ll also teach them strategies for overcoming fear and anxiety and how to stand with presence and deliver with confidence!
Understanding the importance of the tone of the voice is paramount as it contributes greatly to the success of ’phone and video conversations.
The voice builds trust and confidence – it sets you apart!
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