People are often surprised to learn that the least amount of attention is paid to the SUBJECT MATTER when listening to someone speak. That’s right. Research indicates that only 7% of attention is paid to the verbal content. SPEAKING VOICE—such as tone of voice, pace, volume and pitch—grabs another 38% of attention. And the remaining 55% of attention is given over to BODY LANGUAGE.
So, you can imagine how easy it is to distract from your message when speaking voice or body language are either incongruent with the message (i.e., subject matter) or in some way distracting. Conversely, powerful speakers either have been trained to use all three elements of communication synergistically, each one supporting and enhancing the others, or have come by this ability naturally.
Is this a topic on which you would like more information that you can apply in your own personal and career life?