Communication in the 21st Century: Is It What You Say, Not How You Say It? | Vivian Ta | TEDxUTA

Summary

The transcript challenges the common belief that nonverbal communication is more important than verbal content. It argues that in the digital age, where text-based communication is prevalent, the actual words we use are crucial for mutual understanding. The speaker introduces the Latent Semantic Similarity (LSS) measure to empirically assess shared meaning in conversations, and suggests that verbal behaviors like asking questions are more significant for understanding than nonverbal cues, which are more important for emotional connection rather than conveying information.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Communication is often believed to be more about 'how you say it' rather than 'what you say it', with a focus on nonverbal cues.
• 🤔 The speaker challenges this notion, suggesting that verbal behaviors may be more important than previously thought, especially in the digital age.
• 🔍 Historically, the importance of nonverbal behavior has been emphasized, but the speaker proposes a shift towards verbal communication's significance.
• 📚 The concept of 'latent semantic similarity' (LSS) is introduced as a measure to determine the extent of shared understanding in communication.
• 📈 LSS is validated as a legitimate measure of mutual understanding through a study published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology.
• 🧐 The study analyzed initial interactions between strangers and found that verbal behaviors were key predictors of mutual understanding.
• 🙅‍♂️ Nonverbal behaviors such as gestures, smiles, and gazes were not essential for developing common ground understanding in the study.
• 💻 The Internet has revolutionized communication, making it predominantly text-based and accessible globally, which impacts the importance of verbal communication.
• 🌐 The prevalence of digital communication means that nonverbal cues like body language are often irrelevant, emphasizing the need to focus on verbal behaviors.
• 💡 The speaker argues that in a society dominated by text-based communication, we should adapt and prioritize the words we use over nonverbal cues.
• 🙌 The takeaway is to recognize the evolving nature of communication and the growing importance of verbal behaviors in establishing understanding.

Q & A

What is the general consensus regarding the importance of nonverbal behavior in communication?

The general consensus leans towards the importance of nonverbal behavior, such as body language, in communication, as it provides a lot of information that isn't conveyed verbally.

What does the speaker challenge in the script?

The speaker challenges the idea that nonverbal behavior is more important than verbal behavior in communication, suggesting that what we say might be more significant than previously realized.

What is the role of establishing mutual understanding in communication?

Establishing mutual understanding is crucial in communication as it ensures that the message being conveyed is understood by the recipient in the intended way.

What is the significance of using the same words in the same way for developing common ground understanding?

Using the same words in the same way is important for developing common ground understanding because it helps interaction partners to use language consistently, facilitating mutual comprehension.

What is Latent Semantic Similarity (LSS) and how is it used?

Latent Semantic Similarity (LSS) is a measure that uses an automated statistical method to establish the contextual meaning of any text by analyzing the relationship among the words used, determining how similar blocks of text or groups of words are to each other.

How did the researchers test the validity of LSS as a measure of mutual understanding?

Researchers tested the validity of LSS by analyzing videotaped recordings of initial interactions between pairs of strangers, comparing the LSS measure against various verbal and nonverbal behaviors to see which best predicted mutual understanding.

What did the study published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology find regarding LSS and mutual understanding?

The study found that LSS is a legitimate measure of how much people understand each other, indicating its effectiveness in empirically measuring mutual understanding.

What behaviors were found to be most important for establishing common ground understanding in communication?

The study found that verbal behaviors, such as the amount of talking and the number of questions asked, were the most important for establishing common ground understanding, rather than nonverbal behaviors.

How do nonverbal behaviors contribute to communication, according to the script?

Nonverbal behaviors contribute to creating an emotionally pleasant and involving interaction, but they are not essential for developing mutual understanding.

How has the Internet changed the way we communicate and what does this mean for the focus on verbal vs. nonverbal behavior?

The Internet has made communication primarily text-based, focusing on the words we use rather than nonverbal cues. This shift suggests that we should place more importance on verbal behaviors in our communication.

What is the speaker's final argument regarding the focus on verbal behavior in the age of the Internet?

The speaker argues that since our communication is largely text-based and intertwined with our daily lives, we should adapt and focus more on what we say rather than how we say it.