As visual creatures, our body language and facial expressions convey critical messages to the people around us. We have as many as 3,000 different facial expressions at our disposal, yet how many of us have worked alongside someone who seemed to have a grand total of one in their facial repertoire? If you're going to convey the message to your customers and colleagues that you're happy to be there, approachable and trustworthy, then consider that a smile might be worth a thousand words.

 

Our facial expressions and body language don't just impact how others interpret us, they also can impact our moods and confidence levels. As I wrote back in 2005, a German study demonstrated that people who read cartoons with a pen clenched between their teeth (forcing them to smile) found the cartoons much funnier than the volunteers who read them with a pen clutched between their lips (which made them scowl). Smiling also lowers your stress level. In other words, change your outer appearance and you can change what's going on inside you.  

 

This is a message echoed in Amy Cuddy's fantastic Ted talk Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are. Cuddy, a researcher and professor at Harvard University, suggests that our bodies can change our minds, which then changes our behaviors, which in turn changes our outcomes. Her research shows that if you adopt a power pose (think of Wonder Woman with arms akimbo) of confidence for two minutes, it increases the amount of testosterone in our bodies (helping us feel more confident) while reducing the amount of cortisol (making us less stress reactive).   

 

So the next time you have to give a business presentation, ask the boss for a favor, or discuss a critical issue with a client, take a deep breath, smile, and strike your best Wonder Woman/Batman power pose (perhaps in private to avoid the strange looks).