If You're Happy and You Know It…

“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands…. If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it…” Many of us learned that song in school when we were young.

The power of a smile is amazing – especially now. One of the things that wearing a mask doesn’t allow is seeing the expression on someone’s face. So, we are not suggesting you take off your mask to accomplish this, but not every place requires masks. In my experience, when you’re dealing with a stressful situation, taking a breath, pausing and then smiling, goes a long way to making difficult situations more tolerable.

We just shared some information over the last couple of days sharing different types of communication styles for your clients and prospects. One thing that transcends all of that and can greatly enhance your communication is a smile. When you make a phone call or video prospect call, are you smiling? When you talk to your clients, can they hear the joy in your voice? Nonverbal communication can be as powerful as any words you use. In fact, research suggests that the words you use only impact the message by 37%. Meaning that it’s what you don’t say, or how you present the words, that accounts for 63% of your communication effectiveness. The nonverbal cues are really the most important.

There are three nonverbal cues you should constantly be exuding to your clients in all forms of communication:

1. Joy

2. Confidence

3. Passion

They all start with a smile. If you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, why do it? Share a smile today and see what happens to the people you encounter. I bet they smile back…

Jeff Schmidt is SVP-Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com or follow him on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn.