One of our subscribers who responded to the last article, Interpersonal Communication – Response Coding, claimed that emails can effectively convey tone of voice and body language. Let’s explore this proposition.

In interpersonal communication, the two-way channel implicitly means that the Sender wants to “hint” something and the Receiver needs to “infer” this very thing. In the most effective of interpersonal communications, implication and inference are the same. However, the way and degree to which these diverge reduce the effectiveness of communication and, in the extreme, result in a complete lack of communication. How do tone of voice and body language contribute to this?

It is said that the tone of voice represents 35% of interpersonal communication. When one can listen to the speaker, all the elements of the voice can be apprehended. These elements include volume, pitch, inflection, emphasis, irony, intonation, emotion, pause, modulation, excitement, passion, boredom, hesitation, etc. In a written communication, it may be possible to infuse some tone of voice, although this is quite difficult and usually incomplete. As a result, it is full of potential misunderstandings.

This is particularly true in the case of emails. Emails tend to be short, and in most cases are quickly written and then sent immediately. Generally, the element of tone is overlooked. Even if one focuses on tone and edits the email extensively before sending it, the communication will inevitably be poor in tone of voice, compared to interpersonal communication. Actually hearing something has a huge impact.

Body language represents 55% of interpersonal communication. Covers a wide range of traits: nodding, smiling, frowning, shrugging, winking, eye contact or movement, arms crossed or open, leaning in, gesturing, posture, hand movement, yawning, raising eyebrows , gawking, eye-rolling, teasing, etc. . These are attributes that have to be seen to be recognized and processed.

However, there are many situations in which interpersonal communication occurs solely through body language: there are no words and no sounds. The mimes do entire routines, using only body language. Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were virtuosos in the silent era (yes, there was a time before movies integrated speech).

Another example of this is people walking through a mall. Viewed from above, it would look quite similar to an anthill. There is a lot of running around in a seemingly random way, but no one bumps into the others. How do we negotiate, coordinate and manage all of this without talking to each other?

Much of this action occurs at the subconscious level using a range of subtle cues. Directional intent is often signaled by small eye movements or other facial expressions. One could also lean towards the desired direction. Preemptive action can be taken to occupy a space or speed can be slowed down to vacate a space.

All of this happens in real time with everyone sending and receiving messages. The next time you’re at a mall, pay attention to how we communicate using body language, and you’ll conclude that we’re having a great nonverbal conversation.

By definition, body language must be seen to have an effect. When reading an email, one cannot see the sender and therefore cannot determine the body language that might accompany it. This brings us back to the conclusion of the last article: an email, at its best, can be only 10% interpersonal communication, because it lacks both tone of voice and body language, all it has is the words.