I was amused when I read an article about how Japanese people were taking classes to learn how to smile after spending so long wearing masks during the pandemic.
It makes sense though.
Our facial expression has a huge impact on our communication to others as well as on how we feel.
When it comes to giving presentations, my Japanese clients often mistakenly believe that their English capability is their biggest obstacle to being clearer and more persuasive speakers.
They’re surprised to discover that they can get a quick win by smiling at the beginning of their presentation – much more effective and faster than putting in the hours to perfect your grammar, refine your pronunciation, and expand your vocabulary.
And smiling doesn’t just give a good impression to your audience – that movement of your facial muscles sends an unconscious signal to your brain that you’re safe and all is well, so you feel good too! Amy Cuddy refers to this concept in her popular TED Talk, Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are.
Any normal adult human being who hasn’t had coaching or lots of practice in giving presentations usually gets nervous, so just bringing in that smile at the beginning is a GREAT way to ease your nerves!
At the same time, take care to avoid smiling when you’re delivering a serious message to avoid confusing your audience.
I remember one Japanese male executive I was coaching. He was having trouble communicating tough feedback to his overseas colleague. When we role played the situation, he had a huge smile on his face!
This wasn’t a happy smile. It was a nervous smile because he was uncomfortable about having a difficult conversation.
The smile was causing a miscommunication because when there’s a mismatch between verbal and non-verbal communication in a message that involves some degree of emotion, we naturally pay more attention to what we see over the words themselves (this is the essence of Albert Mehrabian’s famous “7-38-55” research, which is unfortunately often overgeneralized and misquoted).
So the conclusion is simple: smiling can be professional or unprofessional, depending on the situation. And you can use your facial expression – smiling or not smiling – as a less-effort-more-impact approach for clearer and more persuasive presentations and communication!