Words - Are they important?

Communication is 7-10 % words , 25-30 % tone and rest is body language. The percentage may vary a little but I think we all understand that words make only a small part of the actual communication. So, are the words that important? If gestures, actions and touch could say it all , what was the need to develop languages?  Off late the question has been bothering me a lot as I have used the same statistics endless times in my sessions. But going through them now I realise , tone belongs to words - tone isn't non verbal. Therefore, words even by these stats constitute a big 35-40% of communication.

Remember Boyzone's song - "It's only words and words are all I have to take your heart away". Words have a taste , a power that makes people your enemy or friend. Words can hurt , words can heal, words can change the world so in other words - words matter. Still we choose not to speak about the things that matter the most to us - to the people who matter the most to us, of the feelings that matter the most to us. Because speaking makes us feel vulnerable, maybe that's why we all wait for the others to speak out first. Ironically, this is what makes us  the most vulnerable - not speaking , it keeps everything bottled inside and we become an emotional volcano. Ready to burst anytime and making each moment till then an agony. Words win world, hearts and people and may end up doing just the opposite, it is this power that makes us afraid.

Don't we always or most of the time hurt the people we care about - our friends and families -  by not speaking about what they mean to us and what we feel. We assume they understand us and we do not need to speak. But given the power of words , this is the group that should never be deprived of words of care, wisdom and love. Sometimes a few words convey what our endless actions can not. Making you and your stand clearer than any other means. Read this a few days ago - "Sometimes hearts are broken by words left unspoken". So take chance, it is really a sign of power when you can let go of your fears and speak.

Words do not make the complete communication, but they are an essential component of the same. Sometimes that first 10% , without which the rest 90% of communication becomes meaningless.

P.S - Sometimes words are better left unsaid, other times those unspoken words could have made all the difference. So think, choose with care but speak out , you owe it to yourself.