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Body Language
(Facial Expressions)

Your face is always speaking, even when you're not! When you're on autopilot, listening, and especially when your words say one thing, but your expression says another. Did you know that there are two kinds of smiles? One works for you; the other actually works against you. This upSKILL shares how to have a pleasant resting face, the difference between a genuine and polite smile, and more.
   6:10 Watch Time [Week 8 from the Weekly upSKILL series]
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Patients reading your resting face as bored, annoyed, or unapproachable, even when that's the furthest thing from how you feel  
  • Not realizing your listening face looks checked out, even when you're genuinely paying attention
  • Patients who feel disengaged and need you to set the tone
  • Creating a pleasant resting face habit
  • Knowing the difference between a smile that feels genuine vs. polite or insincere 
  • Bringing that same genuine warmth and presence to teammates, friends, and family too, not just patients

For Leaders:

  • Team members with strong clinical skills who come across as cold or unapproachable simply because of their resting face
  • Patients forming a negative first impression at check-in based on one flat expression
  • Team members who match the patient's energy instead of setting the tone 
  • Coaching team members on the simple habit (Corners Up) that makes every greeting and check-in feel more welcoming 
  • Helping team members recognize the difference between a polite or forced smile and one that builds real trust
  • Setting the standard for simple genuine smiles for every patient, every day
 Data 

It's science

Facial expressions carry most of what a message actually communicates. Research on communication shows body language (including your face) accounts for 55% of how a message lands, while the words themselves only account for 7%.(1)
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Your face is doing most of the talking before you say anything at all.
Genuine smiles physically look different from polite ones. In the 1800s, a French neurologist discovered that a real smile activates a muscle around your eyes that you can't trigger on command, while a forced smile only moves your mouth.(2)
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Patients can feel that difference even if they can't explain why. 
Smiling and laughing are contagious on a neurological level. Research from University College London neuroscientist Sophie Scott found that seeing someone smile or laugh triggers a mirroring response in the watcher's brain.(3)
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Your warmth doesn't just get noticed; it is contagious. 
 Note 

From The Experts

"Have you ever noticed that for the majority, superhero masks show their face, while villains cover theirs? It's because psychologically we don't trust someone when we cannot see their face. That's how much our brain relies on someone's facial expressions to feel comfortable."
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- Christine & Lauren, The Patient Whisperers
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 SERIES 

This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

by The Patient Whisperers:
Soft skills that make work and life better.
For everyone who works with patients - or interacts with humans.

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quick bites, by The Patient Whisperers.

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Chu Vision Institute

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 WHO 

Meet the experts

The Patient Whisperers
Christine Scarlett
& Lauren Weaver
Former practice leaders leading change by bringing relational intelligence, soft skills + emotional connection into healthcare as authors, speakers, and upSKILL instructors. 
Get to know them here or connect on social media:
Christine Scarlett
Former CMO
& Director of Patient Experience
From counseling patients, to Director of Patient Experience, to CMO, Christine's worn nearly every 'hat' in a healthcare practice. The driving force? Her love for people... creating exceptional patient experiences and empowering those who serve them.
Lauren Weaver
Former
Director of Brand Development
Bringing her PR, branding, social media influencer status, and love of storytelling with her, Lauren turned how we market and build a brand for ourselves in healthcare upside down by redefining how we connect with our patients, both in practice and online.
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(1) Mehrabian, A. (1971). Silent Messages. Foundational research on the relative impact of words, tone, and body language in communicating feelings and attitudes.(2) Duchenne de Boulogne, G. B. (1862). Mécanisme de la Physionomie Humaine; later confirmed by Ekman, P., Davidson, R. J., & Friesen, W. V. (1990), "The Duchenne Smile," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (3) Scott, S. K., University College London. Research on the neuroscience of laughter and social contagion.