On a daily basis we work with people who have different opinions, values, beliefs, and needs than our own. Our ability to exchange ideas with others, understand others’ perspective, solve problems and execute as a team highly depends on our ability to master paraverbal communication.

Paraverbal communication which accounts for about 30-38% of what we communicate refers to the messages that we transit through the tone, pitch, and pacing of our voices. It is “how we say something”, not what we say. One of the major causes of conflict at work place is highly dependent on how a fellow employee or senior says something, not what they say.

A sentence can convey entirely different meanings depending on the emphasis on words and the tone of voice. If you wish to be good at communication, you need to master both verbal, non-verbal and paraverbal communication skills.