There’s a popular tv show on the Discovery channel called Mythbusters. The premise of the show is to create experiments to test common myths that are not necessarily supported by scientific research. The show is entertaining because it usually involves something blowing up! In communication there are plenty of myths that deserve to be blown up! We’re going to take a look at the top 5 rules (myths!) I’ve come across in the past decade.
The danger with communication rules lies in the expectation that we can apply a rule to 100% of our communication situations and always generate consistent results. It’s not that simple. Remember that you don’t gain knowledge by memorizing a list of rules. You gain knowledge by understanding why the rule was invented in the first place!
So let’s bust some communication myths right now. Below are a list of the communication half-truths and myths I’ve seen, along with the reason why you should not apply them.
Myth #1: Start your presentation by telling a joke
Why people say this:
It is a high-risk option that is mistakenly believed to have a two-fold benefit. First, it loosens up the audience. Second, it loosens up the speaker. “So Russ, are you saying I should tell a joke then?” NO!!!! There is nothing wrong with gaining your audience’s attention, relating to them, and injecting some levity into your presentation, but you’re not a stand-up comedian. There is a better way.
Why it’s a myth:
When speakers begin with a joke, audiences tend to feel like they’re trying too hard to gain our affection. They’re attempting to connect with us by using a pre-meditated tool. Since comedy is extremely difficult to deliver, most of the time the audience will respond with nervous or polite laughter. It’s a high risk option with an average payout. A better approach is to incorporate humor. Humor is different than a joke. It is a much lower risk option but it can have a huge payout!
I define the biggest difference between joke and humor as this… a joke can be seen from a mile away. The audience knows you’re telling a joke and they’re just waiting on the punch line and hoping it’s a good one. If it’s not delivered well and if it’s not a good punch line, the crescendo the speaker expected turns into a huge flop. Expectations were high and the speaker didn’t meet them. Humor, on the other hand, is not expected. It’s a quick one-liner the speaker slips in which causes a brief, welcomed laugh from the audience.
Myth #2: Never pause longer than 3 seconds when speaking
Why people say this:
I’m sure you’ve seen this before. A speaker is speaking, as we would expect, and then they stop speaking. As the silence hangs in the air we all start to wonder why the speaker isn’t speaking!? After 3 seconds, we actually begin to feel something inside us. We become nervous, anxious, uncomfortable, irritated… you name it, but it doesn’t feel good. Because of this magic threshold of 3 seconds and we start to have negative feelings, the guideline became, never pause longer than 3 seconds.
Why it’s a myth:
I say hogwash. One of the 3 primary objectives for any speaker is to get your audience to feel something about your subject. Science tells us that feelings play a huge role in how we make our decisions. What if I want my audience to feel anxious, nervous, or uncomfortable? Persuading them to accept my proposal may be dependent on it! I say “give it a go!” and pause for 3 – 4 seconds the next time you speak and you need to emphasize the importance of the situation.
Myth #3: Rehearse in front of a mirror
Why people say this:
Because they heard it or read it somewhere. The idea is that you could view yourself speaking and do some self coaching to improve. This advice has been written in books for decades, but it is awful advice for today. The reason it was so popular decades ago is because back then you weren’t walking around with a video camera in your purse or pocket!
Why it’s a myth:
When you speak in front of a mirror you’re asking your brain to engage in two complex activities at once. First, be the best speaker you can be! Second, be the best coach you can be! Cognitive research has shown that we cannot perform two high demand tasks at the same time. We will constantly be switching back and forth between the two of them. As an end result, neither one of them is done very well. Instead of using a mirror, break out that video camera on your phone. Video record yourself presenting. Then go back and watch your video and be the best coach you can be.
Myth #4: Decrease the number of slides to improve your presentation
Why people say this:
You’ve probably been in one of these presentations. The speaker is delivering what is now commonly called “death by PowerPoint.” It generally occurs when a speaker puts every word they want to say on a slide full of bullets. Then they proceed to read every slide to the audience with maybe one or two additional comments. After 15 slides of constant reading, the audience is overwhelmed, tired, and just plain bored! Based on this experience, fewer slides would always be much better!
Why it’s a myth:
The problem here is not the number of slides, the problem really lies in the development of the message and the design of the slides. The PechaKucha method of presenting is a dynamic delivery where the speaker uses 20 slides and only stays on each slide for 20 seconds. It’s not only fast paced, they’re usually amazing stories. Do the math. That is a 400-second presentation (6 minutes and 40 seconds). When people deliver webcasts (e.g.WebEX) we coach them to double the number of slides! Think about this… what’s more interesting to look at, a single picture for 3 minutes or a video for 3 minutes? If you said video, then you can see how more pictures on a webcast is good. Video is just a series of pictures shown to your naked eye so quickly, it looks like motion. The closer you get to video (i.e. more pictures) the more engaging it becomes to watch.
Myth #5: 93% of our communication is non-verbal
Why people say this:
In 1967 Dr. Albert Mehrabian performed a study where he wanted to know which communication channels we trusted the most when we receive messages that seem out of alignment. In other words, if someone said, “That sounds exciting” but they had a frowning sad face, you’d see that as a mixed message. So what would you believe is the true interpretation? Using a picture (visual channel) and a printed word (verbal channel), he asked subjects to interpret what they saw. Then he did the study again and only exposed the subjects to hearing a voice recording (vocal channel) of a word (verbal channel). He asked the same question about the interpretation. What he found is that when we receive a mixed message, we assign 93% of our interpretation to the visual and vocal channels, only 7% to the verbal (words.)
Why it’s a myth:
Dr. Mehrabian was studying mixed messages. In other words, when all three channels are not in alignment, how do we interpret the information? The big takeaway most people miss from his research is this… don’t send mixed messages when you communicate! Who really cares if one study says it’s 93% and another says it’s 73%, how does that help you? A large emphasis of our interpretation is placed on non-verbal channels, so let’s not ignore the development of our non-verbal communication skills.
Here’s my challenge to you…
When you read a list of “top 5 communication tips” or something like that, always question to understand where it originated. What is the underlying truth that supports the claim? When we seek the truth that supports advice given, we attain a deeper level of understanding and appreciation. That is true learning. But also remember this, true knowledge only becomes valuable when it’s put into action.
Always willing to challenge the status quo, even if I created the status quo,
Russ
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Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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