The power of a smile, the master key that opens doors, by Pilar Ortiz
January 15, 2021
Smiling is very important. It improves our mood, it releases tensions or breaks awkward moments, but above all, it is a great tool to get in touch and communicate with other people. There is no doubt that the value of a smile is higher than we can imagine, even more if we need to introduce ourselves to other people or make a sale or get a new client.
It is important to take into account that a smile is like a bridge between us and our interlocutor; it gets us close to them and it breaks the barriers that it has towards us and our message. But not every instant is appropriate to smile since there are times and places for everything, and even a smile in a wrong moment can have the contrary effect.
If we have an elevator speech or any predefined message of what we are going to say to our interlocutor, we can practice a few hours before in front of the mirror, remembering out loud what we are going to say to them and to see in which way our face expressions are in line with our message. If there is a moment of good news or a positive situation, smiling naturally in that same instant will make us connect even more with our client or audience.
On the other hand, if we have to say not so satisfactory words but the message is not bad news either, a small grin or a rather more serious face without going too serious will be okay to be in line with such speech. Playing with our face expressions is key to creating a bond with our interlocutor and making them to get our message from different fronts: the auditory (with what we are saying) and the visual (with our body and facial expressions, and even if there is a presentation).
To make smiling a tool to transmit the message and get close to the people who we are talking to will be an important part of what we have to take into account when strengthening our communication skills. However, this smile must be as genuine as possible, because if it does not feel honest, that will show to our audience.
In brief, the goal is to have the ability to handle a smile as we have thought, according to what we want to tell along with the message we are communicating, looking to be as natural as possible and not as the circumstances say so, and let us not forget that a smile is trust and confidence; it is a powerful and wonderful curve.
In the same way, we should remember that when we are nervous, we have to talk in public or we find ourselves in a tense situation, the first thing that disappears from our face is the smile. However, this is one of the first things our interlocutor notices and the most memorable. This fact can represent a great opportunity for them to give an idea of us, but it can also be a risk if we are not genuine, because with a simple smile they can infer that we will not be honest when it comes to making business.
In order to get the people’s attention, it is not enough that we believe that we are actually doing it, but we must show it with our verbal and body language, because sometimes we think we smile enough but our interlocutor does not seem to think the same. That is why we must look for ways to get the attention of people during the first minute of making contact with them, not with words but with a smile that comes from the deepest of our souls.
Finally, I invite you to reflect on this question: ¿What comes first, smiling or feeling happy? You don’t always have to be happy to smile, but when you do not feel like it you can appeal to people, memories or things that make you smile and evoke happy and satisfied emotions to another level, but mostly, remember: The shortest distance between two people is a smile.
