George Eliot said, “Wear a smile and have friends; wear a
scowl and have wrinkles.” Smiling is a very simple way to make a good
impression; it can immediately change your outward appearance and therefore how
people perceive you. Perception is in the details and no matter how much you
care about your employees and their well being, if do not make an effort to show
you care, they may never know.
A simple smile and hello in the morning to your fellow
employees can change the course of an entire day. Perhaps Susie in the corner
was running late and thought the day was going to be awful and your smile will
turn her morning around. Maybe George from down the hall is having trouble
getting through an assignment and your smile gives him the push he needs to
finish it up.
A smile says, “Hi, I’m happy to be here and I’m glad you are
too.” Communications experts estimate that 80 percent of communication is
non-verbal, so even if you are saying the right things, you still need to show
it as well. Research also shows that even fake smiles will work, so fake it
till you make it, folks.
Smiling can improve your mood, improve the mood of those
around you, encourage creativity, increase brain activity, decrease stress,
make your more approachable, increase your perceived trustworthiness, and a
host of other things. Even all these benefits are something to smile about!
In his book How to Win
Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie said, “A smile costs nothing,
but creates so much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those
who give. It happens in a flash and the memory sometimes lasts forever.”
As you go about your day, make an effort to smile a few
extra times. Eventually, smiling more
will become a habit and you will find yourself much better for it.
Contact Connor | Caitlin at www.connorcaitlin.com
