Communication Skills
Tone of Voice
According to Mehrabian, the tone of voice we use is responsible for about 35-40 percent of the message we are sending. Tone involves the volume you use, the level and type of emotion that you communicate, and the emphasis that you place on the words that you choose. To see how this works, try saying the sentences in Figure 6 with the emphasis each time on the word in bold.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
Figure 6: Impact of Tone of Voice
The same sentence can have multiple meanings depending on which word is emphasized. The emphasis on a particular word implies additional information than what the words say.
Notice that the meaning of the sentence changes each time, even though the words are the same. The emphasis you place on the word draws the listener's attention, indicating that the word is important somehow. In this case, the emphasis indicates that the word is an error. So in the first example, *I* didn't say he borrowed my book, the phrase includes the message that someone else said it. The implied information continues to change in each sentence, despite the words remaining the same each time.
Tone of Voice
According to Mehrabian, the tone of voice we use is responsible for about 35-40 percent of the message we are sending. Tone involves the volume you use, the level and type of emotion that you communicate, and the emphasis that you place on the words that you choose. To see how this works, try saying the sentences in Figure 6 with the emphasis each time on the word in bold.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
*I* didn't say he borrowed my book.
Figure 6: Impact of Tone of Voice
The same sentence can have multiple meanings depending on which word is emphasized. The emphasis on a particular word implies additional information than what the words say.
Notice that the meaning of the sentence changes each time, even though the words are the same. The emphasis you place on the word draws the listener's attention, indicating that the word is important somehow. In this case, the emphasis indicates that the word is an error. So in the first example, *I* didn't say he borrowed my book, the phrase includes the message that someone else said it. The implied information continues to change in each sentence, despite the words remaining the same each time.