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Leadership Learning with Dr Rozana™
© Copyright Dr Rozana Huq. 8 May 2026
Non-verbal Communication Skills
The 7-38-55 rule.
So, your board presentation – done and dusted?
Applauds received and you are preparing for another presentation. You have written and decked up your slides, ready to go again.
But wait a minute, remember also to consider your NVCs, your non-verbal communications. Yes, words mean a lot. But not when you study the 7-38-55 rule!
Mehrabian (1967) explains the 7-38-55 rule. It is important to remember the breakdown. It will help you with your presentation.
7% of meaning is transmitted through words, 38% through your voice tone, and the remaining 55% is through your facial expressions & body language.
Get your NVCs on the right track, and your words will mean more.
Some key skills need to be mastered, not just light touch-up at the superficial level.
At first, it feels scary, and stage fright is common. It happens to even well-seasoned speakers.
When I first started teaching with 250 students, it felt daunting. I was worried whether the students at the back could hear me or see my non-verbal expressions. Keeping eye contact, going over the room, making sure I wasn’t just staring at one space or looking at a few students.
Twenty years of speaking to students and leaders, senior management in boardrooms, and as a keynote conference speaker, I feel there is always room for improvement. Complacency and being over-confident can sometimes destroy the core message.
A side hint, if you are speaking in another country, remember to learn and take note of some basic cultural aspects. Show respect and be aware of cultural gestures.
You might feel you know all of this, but when you look at the rule of 7-38-55, you better deep-dive into it and adjust a few things.
➡️ Posture – a confident posture says more than your words could say.
➡️ Eye contact – shows you are interested and engaging, drawing in the audience from all corners of the room.
➡️ Tone of voice – voice modulation comes with practice, it’s essential to vary your pitch, tone and sometimes volume too, avoid flat or monotone.
➡️ Gestures – take care of your hand gestures and be aware of basic cultural rules. Use hand movements to emphasise or clarify points without being distracting.
If you have lots of room to move around, be careful of your movements. Don’t move constantly from one corner to the other, making your audience dizzy!
Get the combination right, and your presentation will be a success. Measure your success by the clarity of your message, what you wanted to say, how you said it, and how well it was received.
At the end of the day, the golden rule is this - your core message needs to be conveyed with clarity, so that people remember the message and they feel it, ‘I get your point, what you said.’
That’s what is needed, your point got across, your job done – no applause needed!
Communication skills are critical for leaders.
Most leaders say it is one of their pain points, particularly managing the NVCs.
Is this your pain point too?
For a Session on Communication Skills:
➡️ Fill in the contact form and send your message.
Leadership Learning with Dr Rozana™ is written by
Dr Rozana Huq
Founder and Director
RHM LEADERSHIP
➡️ Empower ➡️ Inspire ➡️ Lead
www.rhmleadership.com