Wearing a Mask at Work?

It’s Time to Master the Smize

All of the popular kids in my dorm either worked as baristas or scooped ice cream for extra cash. I spent my evenings and weekends at parties, but unfortunately, I was not wearing a little black dress or playing beer pong with cute college guys. Instead, I was working at children’s birthday parties, sweating beneath my giant Barney, Big Bird or Mickey Mouse costumes. It was a smelly job, but the pay was good and the tips were great. Plus, I have always loved being the center of attention — even if it was really my character who stole the show — and just like the Kardashians, I always traveled with a handler.

You get a new perspective on things when you are in costume, because people don’t really “see” you, and you adopt some strange habits under your disguise as well. Most notably, whenever you are posing for pictures, whether it be with screaming toddlers, obnoxious teenagers or sweet old ladies, you always smile. It’s just a reflex, since nobody can actually tell what facial expression you are making under your costume. Or can they?

The truth is, people can “feel” your smile, even if they can’t see it. Pay attention the next time you go to an amusement park, the mall or anywhere that people are lining up to take pictures with the Easter Bunny, Mickey Mouse, or the character du jour. If the actor under the costume stops smiling, the handler will swoop in. Smiles, or a lack thereof, are felt by everyone nearby, even if they are concealed by multiple layers of foam, mesh and wire screens.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, for the next year or so, whenever you go to work, meet a client, or have a conference with your children’s teacher, you will be wearing a mask. While masks may save you from worrying about having food stuck in your teeth, when it comes to commanding attention and making a positive impression on others, they only present significant challenges. In fact, masks are actually a huge impediment to quality workplace communications. Don’t worry; I am not telling you to avoid wearing masks. For the sake of my octogenarian parents and my asthmatic nephew, please wear your mask at work. Instead, I’m going to teach you how to improve your communications when half of your face is concealed.

Eyes have long been considered the “windows to the soul,” and it is now time for them to become the windows to what’s under your mask. With approximately 50% of your face covered and your voice somewhat muffled, you need to learn how to put the rest of your facial real estate to work in order to connect with people at work and in public. Here are 6 tips for connecting with others from under a mask:

1. Perfect your smize in the mirror. Supermodels do it, dogs do it, and now that you’re masked, you need to learn how to do it too. Smizing is the fine art of conveying happiness, or smiling, with your eyes. What started as a “Tyraism” on America’s Next Top Model, after being coined by supermodel Tyra Banks, is quickly morphing into a mainstream practice, serving as a useful technique for connecting with your peers from under a mask. Practice your smize in the mirror by tightening the muscles at the bottom of your eyes under your lower eyelids.

2. Warm-up your face. Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t run on to the pitch without first warming up his body to relax and obtain his full range of motion. In order to project a friendly, relaxed, and approachable impression, you will first have to warm up the muscles in your face. The easiest facial warm-up to start with is Tense/Relax. Start by tightening every muscle in your face, including your forehead, brows, eyes, nose, mouth and jaw. Hold everything tight for 10 seconds while repeating “tight, tight, tight” to yourself in your head. Then do the reverse and relax every muscle in your face, repeating “relax, relax, relax.” Repeat this exercise three to five times on your way to work, and by the time you arrive, you’ll have your friendly game face on.

3. Focus on happy thoughts. This is more than just a helpful mantra for world peace; it actually helps you smize. Even when you are busy, try to find something good in every person you interact with. This is where the “windows to the soul” wisdom comes in. If you are thinking happy or funny thoughts, your pupils will enlarge, and the person with whom you are interacting will feel like you are interested in what they have to say.

4. Use your brows. Lay off the fillers and Botox for the duration of the pandemic, because your eyebrows are an integral component of your facial expression. Try to move them to portray excitement and interest in what your customers are saying.

5. Wear your glasses. Squinting is the polar opposite of smizing; it makes you look like you don’t like what you are hearing. You may be trying to avoid wearing your glasses due to your mask making them foggy, but there is an easy solution to this problem. Simply use a mask with a built-in nose bridge, and wear your glasses over your mask.

6. Relax your shoulders. Stress will literally creep up to your face and reflect itself in your expression, so stop it in its tracks by making sure your shoulders are down and back. When you feel your shoulders start to tighten up, do some quick shoulder shrug exercises, dropping them down a little further with each repetition.

Now that you are trained in the art of the smize, you won’t need a handler to remind you to look happy; your smile will shine right out from under your mask!