We all feel on an intuitive level that when we talk face to face with somebody, a lot more than the words bouncing back and forth is being communicated. There’s been a study that has been quoted by lots of people regarding this fenomenon.
The study says that communication is made up of:
55% body language
38% tone of voice
7% words
Unfortunately these numbers have been taken out of context, as they are true only when people are communicating about their feelings and likes/dislikes.
Nevertheless, it seems something does happen when two people communicate face to face. A study from the University of Pennsylvania showed that when two people interact, as much as 10,000 units of information flow between them every second. What you talk about with somebody is only the tip of the iceberg. The huge majority of the communication is taking place subconsciously.
That’s why, it seems, evolution has created the “first impression”. First impressions are a pretty good assessment of somebody’s personality in just a few seconds. What’s most impressive about first impressions is that most of the time they are right on the money.
When you meet somebody online and manage to “connect”, you don’t have the “luxury” of the first impression. So my advice is to actually meet people in person. A first impression can be created quickly, and it will help you know more about that person intuitively that what you found out by IM or Twitter. It might take more time this way, but the ROI, so to speak, is much greater. Online communication has its place, but it should not replace offline communication.
2 Comments
useable information. maybe people can use it in the future
i have alittle trouble face to face. so this is really hrlpful=/