According to a widely recognized study conducted by Dr. Albert Mehrabian at UCLA; when we attempt to communicate our feelings or subjects of an emotional nature, 7% of our message is communicated through our words, 38% with our vocal tones and 55% via our body language.
No wonder we often ignore those long verbose emails pitching us on the newest and greatest product or service –because only 7% of the message hits home with the words (as there’s no voice or images to reference). And what about those unsolicited phone calls we often get that put a frown on our face in less than 10 seconds–blame it on the 93% of the message being carried by the tone of voice (as we can’t “see” someone on the phone).
Another study conducted by Dr. Anne Fernald at Stanford established that parents around the globe utilize a common tonal frequency when communicating approval or disapproval with infants. The “GooOood Baby” message embodies an up and down vocal wave pattern, while the “BAD Baby” warning mimics a short, sharp staccato vocal tone.
I believe that the significance of those two tones doesn’t fade away as we grow up. We certainly expand our vocabulary as we mature, yet, no amount of “that’s not what I said” is likely to calm things down or perk things up until we “sing” the right note when communicating our intention with others.
Layered over these conditions are the unique cultural and ethnic upbringings that each of us brings carries—it’s no wonder that we sometimes get our wires crossed when attempting to communicate with others who are not on the same frequency—both literally and figuratively.
• Healers naturally embody the nurturing, creative oscillating wave pattern in their vocal tones. Healers are expressive and embracing (in all ways) with others.
• Warriors naturally embody a bottom-line results oriented staccato wave pattern when speaking. Warriors are positional and direct (eye on the prize) with others.
• Seers naturally embody a factual and even-pitched frequency when talking. Seers are evaluative and process driven with others.
• The Steward, within the paradigm of TribeVibes, is responsible for shepherding the mission, and while hailing from one of the three tribes, the Steward assumes responsibility of communicating and calibrating messaging with other team members from their respective TribeVibe.
The two-for-one advantage of utilizing TribeVibe calibrations in team environments is that each member can more fully focus their efforts centered around their innate disposition (realizing that they should also respect the variances when interfacing with others who are not from their tribe), while shifting the role of Stewardship to different members of their team depending on the objective (Warriors- sales, Healers-customer service initiatives and Seers -analytic projects).
TribeVibes has proven effective in providing a tool to quickly assess, recalibrate and engage our talent and team resources within hours because it taps into our natural dispositions that have been hardwired since birth.
Most of us realize that we are influenced, and influence others, by vocal tones and body language; what TribeVibes provides is a simple street-smart system to more fully leverage these organic elements into our personal and professional interactions.