Sam Thatte

Smiling’s my favorite!

The Power of Smiles!

Look someone in the eye that is pissed off at the world and give them a HUGE smile. Continue smiling as you watch their facial expressions change. The hard, worried, I am going to kill the next person that crosses me look is slowly fading away. The face softens a bit and you now see a neutral expression for a second. Just for a second though…

Then she starts relaxing.

The zygomaticus muscles start to pull the corners of her mouth upwards. The muscles that are around the eyes, orbicularis oculi, begin squinting, causing crows feet to occur at the edges. Then, the eyebrows come down very slightly. Now she is starting to feel good. What the hell was I so pissed off about a minute ago? I don’t want to think about that right now. This feels really good! She takes a step forward and holds your hand. “Thank you” she whispers.

That my Amazing Friends is the power of a smile.

“Elf, The Movie” is one of my all time favorites. This scene with Will Ferrell and the manager of Gimbells is a classic. I absolutely love the line, “Smiling’s my favorite!” And then the manager goes,”Work is your favorite, okay, work is your new favorite.” Absolutely hilarious! You can watch that clip here.

And what does this have to do with presentations and marketing?

Everything.

When you smile, you are memorable.

Do this. Next time you go to the grocery store, watch the cashier as they help you check out. After you leave the store and drive off, try to remember what the clerk’s face looked like. You will remember her if she had a genuine smile.

When you smile, you seem confident and successful.

Smiling makes you look  like you are enjoying what you are doing. It makes you look like you have absolute command over your environment. If you walk into a room with a genuine smile, you will feel the energy in the room gravitating around you.

You become more accessible.

People around you feel less intimidated and more calm. You seem available to make connections. Your emotions and body language say out loud, “I am relaxed and happy. Come share with me.”

Ron Gutman on smiling. – TED

I first saw this video at Presentationzen.com a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday, I came across it again at another blog. I think it will help you to appreciate the power of smiles.

Have a smiley day! Because smiling could become your favorite too!