In August 2009 the BBC Radio 4 magazine programme, ‘More or Less’, included the following interview with Prof Albert Mehrabian on the topic of ‘that formula’. So just what did his research set out to find, and what does the man himself make of the misplaced assertions that have dogged his findings for over 40 years?
This is important stuff and needs to be shared w i d e l y, so please do help to spread the word!
Listen in (below or in sidebar) as Tim Harford puts the questions to Albert Mehrabian (5 mins):
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I REALLY liked your post and blog! It took me a minute bit to discover your site…but I book marked it. Would you mind if I threw up a link back to your post? Regards!I liked reading your post!
All links welcome. Thanks for your visit and your support. Colin
Good blog. I got a lot of effective information. I’ve been watching this technology for awhile. It’s intriguing how it keeps shifting, yet some of the core components remain the same. Have you seen much change since Google made their latest acquisition in the area?
Good Post. Can you email me back, please. Thank you.
Not a lot of changes noted just recently, Lee. To what precisely were you referring? Thanks for your visit.
Burton .. e-mail follows. Thanks too for your visit and support.
Nice post. Thanks for sharing….
Keep posting stuff like this, I truly like it.
I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I really have enjoyed your well-written articles. I have bookmarked this site and will definitely be checking back for new posts.
Thanks a lot for sharing. I really liked it. I got to know about this at a business communication course and finally able to clear the ambiguity that I had got.
My pleasure. Don’t forget to spread the word, now that you’ve heard it from the man himself. And revisit soon! Best wishes, Colin
Makes sense
Hello Colin,
Good blog you have. I am doing my MA research regarding Mehrabian myth. Can you please tell me is there a website, where I can find written material of this interview?
I’m not sure there’s anything written about the interview itself but I’ll e-mail you separately Marion and we can take it from there. Thanks for visiting and for your support.
Colin
In my public speaking class we are working an an essay for our mid-term paper and I was given a choice Aristotle, Maslow, Mehrabian,and Toulmin. This essay is on Defining communication Theories. I choose Mehrabian to discuss non-verbal communication. I am to give a description of the tests perfomed and a summary. I think I may surprise my professor when he finds that the 7-38-55 formula is not at all what they described in our virtual library to write this paper. Listening to your interview most definitely changes the course of this paper.
Glenda, As I’ve said before, please do spread the word! The only way this myth is going to get changed (or die) is if people such as you take up the cause; so thank you! And the very best of luck with your paper. Drop back and let me know how it is received, please.
I like the template you have on this site. Is it a premium one available to purchase or can it be downloaded for free? Maybe you had it personalized, either way, it’s beautiful!
Thanks! It’s a customised (by me) version of one the excellent (paid) templates available from PageLines. See the credit and link at the foot of each page.