I was brought to a whole new level of understanding concerning God’s occasional command to Be Still. Coming off a dizzying schedule of work and suffering from a minor cold that went into major laryngitis, I learned a lot about tone of voice while I was forced to literally be still!
Ever tried not saying a word for 24 hours? WOW! What an amazing experience. First I didn’t realize how many conversations my husband and I have on a daily basis. I finally resorted to using my iPad for our “conversational time.” This became extremely frustrating! I couldn’t write as fast as I can talk. The additional frustration was that when he read what I wrote, he put his own interpretations on what I said. What I wrote as positive, came out as negative to him!
Major revelation! I remind couples I work with how important tone of voice is in communication. Actually, it is 54% of what we try to say… tone of voice! So without my tone being interjected into my writing, he was getting the wrong picture of what I was trying to communicate.
So, the positive of this forced experiment was that my husband and I actually have a LOT of conversational connection. Probably the big reason the past 18 years with him have been the best years of my life. Secondly, I was reminded once again how our voices have the power to bring life or death from the same source.
Yes, 54% of communication is tone of voice. You might be surprised at how just saying things in different tones can change the way you relate to your spouse. Start being aware of your tone of voice and its amazing influence on your home and your loved ones. Ponder the opposite. How does your tone of voice affect their hearts on a daily basis? Do you encourage or discourage?
So, my vocal cords are “up and running.” My husband is actually grateful! Now that just might not be something every marriage could proclaim! Be still and know how important your tone of voice is to the world around you and your loved ones.