Say What You Mean

I was having lunch with my friend Bret, and he told me about the 7-38-55 rule of communication. Studies have shown that the effectiveness of our communication falls into three buckets, each of which carries a different weight.

7% – Verbal
38% – Tone
55% – Body Language

Sadly, I proved this rule the same day I met Bret for lunch.

I was paying bills on Friday around noon, trying to get out of the office to go to lunch, and I noticed one of our vendors had increased pricing without notifying us. That prompted me to fire off a quick email to accounts receivable and the owner. The heading read “Price Increase??” and the body was short and direct.

An apologetic reply hit my inbox within a few minutes. AR had made a mistake and they were fixing it shortly. As I read the reply… I also read my initial email again. That’s when I realized I had made a huge mistake. My raw email taken as written, without tone or expression, was accusatory and mean. Immediately I emailed an apology and called the person in AR so they could hear me say… I’m sorry.

Remember 7-38-55.
Communication is king.
Communication is key.
Guard your words and your keyboard.
Say what you intend to say.

I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

Psalm 39:1 KJV

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