Vocal & Verbal Communication
Our visual features of posture, gestures, clothing, and facial expression all have an impact on making a first impression. Vocal quality influences whether we want to listen to someone. For example, a voice that is high-pitched, whining, breathy, harsh, loud, or a rich and resonant all affect the listener’s perception of the speaker. Of course, the verbal content of what we say is critical to the overall communication.
In general, it’s not just what we say, but how we say it, and how we look when we say it. When delivering information, the non-verbal aspects of vocal tone and body language influence the actual verbal message. For example, stating “That’s great!” can be interpreted for its verbal content only and appear to be a positive statement. However, if you change your tone to convey sarcasm, the message is changed. Add the visual component of rolled eyes and a shaking head, and the message is further altered. We must consider the visual, vocal, and verbal modalities when communicating and make sure that they support each other.