An Urban Legend Called: “The 7/38/55 Ratio Rule”

Abstract

We have all experienced, consciously or subconsciously, that the spoken words are but one element of the conveyed message. Along with the words we notice the intonation of the voice, the rhythm and speed, the speaker’s expressions and body language. Many times, the non-verbal cues and signs carry a greater infl uence on the listener than the spoken word. Th e impact of each channel (spoken word, tone of voice and body language) on the listener is what UCLA psychology professor Albert Mehrabian researched. In 1967 Mehrabian published his experiments results in two papers. [1] Mehrabian determine the weight listeners place on each of these elements: 7% on verbal, 38% on vocal and 55% on facial. Shortly aft er publication, Mehrabian conclusions caught the eyes of the public, in where it was popularly coined as the 7/38/55 ratio.