That’s obvious that one cannot change the way one looks. What we refer to when we talk about Facial Expressions is the way we express ourselves with non-verbal gestures. Very little can be done to alter your face, but a lot can be done about the expression that is on it!
An individuals facial expressions affect the way other perceive him/her and what perception they create about a person. For instance, a person who rarely put on a smile on her face might seem very rigid and arrogant to talk to while a person with a smiling face might seem to be easily available to talk. One always wants to go to a person who seem welcoming and warm hearted not rigid or with lots of attitude.
When I talk to people, I always suggest them to put on a smile. Now how to do that. One very crazy and easy trick that I practice all the time is:
Close your eyes! Search for your heart, and now try sketching a smile on it. Two dots and a curve. With the moment of you making the curve, try putting it on your face as well! And hooray, you just Smiled.
This might take a while to become a practice, but I ensure you, once it’s done, it would literally change your whole mood and view to look at things. A lot more positivity and optimism would kick in just with a smile.
Getting back to the topic. Few key aspects to keep in mind while conversing to some with regards to facial expressions can be:
1. Maintaining eye contact: Not looking into there eyes but towards them or their face is a key expression making huge impact.
2. Non-verbal Expressions: Practicing various non-verbal expression to express emotion is another key factor. (Haw face, aww face, anger face, smiling face, all these helps you to express your thoughts with minimum words and save you with time and energy). These expressions also help in faking mood. Let’s say, in a meeting where you are forced to listen to a boring proposal, You cannot make weird facial expression. There smiling and expression of appreciation might come in handy.
3. Looking interested: Making eye contact helps one to look interested along with a sincere smile which portrays that you are listening to whatever is being said.
4. Moulding one’s expression: It is very important to be able to mould one’s own expression with respect to situation one is in.
5. Focussed and attentive: When attracting people, it is important to trick people to think that you are attentive to them even though you feel less interested.to be able to influence, one important factor is to trick them to think that They Matter!
It is your duty—to yourself as well as to the organisation that you represent—to convey a calm, friendly and professional exterior, whatever you may feel inside. Try to smile and appear optimistic and confident. More to the point, try to convey how you (should) feel about a subject in which you are an expert: at least interested and capable, and preferably enthusiastic.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
This is what brings flow to the expressions and how one wants to portray oneself. Go to a mirror and visualise yourself standing in various situation and choose how would you react and then practice the same expression in front of your family members and closed ones to gain perspective of how you look. This will open your perspective and you would be able to put an image that you want to.
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