Word.ws English Dictionary

7-38-55 rule

7-38-55 rule noun: the theory that 7% of communication is from spoken words, 38% from tone of voice and 55% from body language and gestures.

Noun

the 7-38-55 rule (uncountable)

  1. The theory that 7% of communication is from spoken words, 38% from tone of voice and 55% from body language and gestures.
    • Studying the 7-38-55 rule will vastly improve your communication skills and make you better able to read the room during a business negotiation.2021 June 7, “How to Use the 7-38-55 Rule to Negotiate Effectively”, in MasterClass, archived from the original on 20 Mar 2025

Origin of 7-38-55 rule

Coined by psychologist Albert Mehrabian.

Questions about 7-38-55 rule

What does 7-38-55 rule mean?
7-38-55 rule means the theory that 7% of communication is from spoken words, 38% from tone of voice and 55% from body language and gestures.
What part of speech is 7-38-55 rule?
7-38-55 rule is a noun.

Words near 7-38-55 rule in the dictionary

  1. 7 Ups
  2. 7-10 split
  3. 7-10 splits
  4. 7-11
  5. 7-11s
  6. 7-38-55 rule
  7. 7-6 suspension
  8. 7-6 suspensions
  9. 7-7-7 rule
  10. 7-bit
  11. 7-day fever

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: 7-38-55 rule (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “7-38-55 rule.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/7-38-55_rule. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.