You should SMILE more. Smiling is one of the easiest ways to warm an audience to you and your message but many speakers find it difficult to do. Clients, from the CEO talking to his employees to a print reporter gearing up for an appearance on the TODAY show, tell me ‘I’m not smiling because there isn’t much to smile about much less laugh.’ I get that. As a newscaster for many years I was often sharing serious news. We’ve all seen guests on TV suddenly flash a big smile where it seems inappropriate or inauthentic, and you just know they’ve been told to smile more. So, here’s the fix: Make finding the lighter side of any presentation or interview part of your due diligence. Ask yourself “what is counter intuitive, surprising or, yes, amusing?” Can you share a story or deliver a soliloquy? Saying what you’ve often said to yourself or quoting someone else often prompts a natural smile. Even if you are sharing news about layoffs you should be talking about how you care and how you’ve assembled a team to help. That doesn’t merit a big smile but should be delivered with a warmer look that can lead to a warmer reception and show a different side of you as a leader.
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