A smile is a powerful tool. A smile can be an ice-breaker, it can be a bridge builder, it can even act as a powerful weapon in certain circumstances. It is every bit as important to have a good smile in business circumstances as it is in personal ones, the world over. For that matter, smiles are universal. A smile in one part of the world means exactly the same as it does anywhere else on the globe. So it’s very important to have a good one.
First of all, keep your teeth nice and white. Good oral hygiene is absolutely necessary and essential to a good smile. Aside from this, brush, floss, and use that mouthwash multiple times daily (alcohol free mouthwash only please), regular visits to the friendly dentist for deep cleaning etc. (some people say every six months but these days many people consider that even every three months or so is a better interval.
Many people find that they have a problem smiling on command, because of shyness or other emotional issues. Often people feel, sometimes rightly so, that their smiles look false or contrived when they are trying to summon them on demand for a certain situation.
There are ways around this, let’s share one simple one with you for purposes of this article. This comes from the famous school of method acting which gave us lots of cheesy actors back in the day, but for something as simple as a smile it’s surprisingly effective.
Remember a moment in your past where you were super content and happy. Try to live the moment as much as possible while at the same time paying attention to the point at which a smile natural breaks out on your face.
If you practice this regularly enough, you will find you have easier and easier access to that natural smile, whenever you need it.
Of course, not all situations call for a smile 100% of the time. You have to have some modicum of emotional intelligence to know when not to use a smile. In business situations you also want to have access to the classic poker face.
It should be noted that we are not advocating masking or hiding yourself in order to deceive people here. Think of it more as discipline and self-control. We often have so many conflicting emotions, that we wind up giving the wrong impression in super important situations because we lose access to the smile we would naturally have. So consider this article as a lesson in those things, if anything.
