Facial expressions

  Facial expressions are an important form of non-verbal communication because they communicate the emotional state of the individual. Facial expressions can be voluntary, for example, smiling at someone we know when we see them at work. However, they are more often involuntary and as such can convey information that the individual may be trying to hide. Certain facial expressions correspond to certain emotions regardless of the individual’s race or culture, such as smiling when we are happy, or frowning when we are sad. For example, it is possible to identify when someone is looking happy or sad by their facial expression, whether they are British, Chinese, Indian or any other race. Being able to correctly identify what people are feeling by observing their facial expression is an important social skill, in terms of being able to demonstrate empathy with others. For example, asking someone ‘Are you all right?’ if they are looking sad communicates to them that you are a sensitive person, who cares about the welfare of others. It is also important to acknowledge the importance that our own facial expressions can have on others. For example, greeting a stranger with a smile can be a very good way of putting them at their ease and can go a long way in terms of making a good first impression on others when we first meet them. It gives the message that ‘I am a friendly person and I want to get to know you’.

Eye contact

  If you do not look at someone when you are talking to them, they are likely to get the idea that you are ignoring them, you are untrustworthy, or you do not like the look of them. People who suffer from social anxiety often avoid eye contact but far from being seen as anxious by others, their behaviour is often interpreted by others as being aloof or antisocial, rather than due to anxiety. Maintaining eye contact for too long can also be interpreted negatively and staring at someone can give them the feeling that you are angry with them. Also by breaking eye contact at the wrong point, you may give the other person the impression you are not paying attention to them. So, with respect to eye contact, the length of time you make contact and the timing of breaks in eye contact, are both important communication skills. It is helpful to conceptualize breaks in eye contact as being similar to taking breaths between sentences. There are points in a verbal interaction where breaks seem to occur naturally and these are analogous to full stops and commas in written communications. Eye contact is no different in this respect in that there are points in an interaction where breaks in eye contact should occur naturally. There are no fixed rules and there do seem to be cultural variations with respect to what is appropriate eye contact. However, if you find social situations difficult, practising appropriate eye contact will improve your social skills. In summary, you need to use varied eye contact to communicate effectively. It is also useful to know that eyebrow movements and the rate at which a person blinks can also provide useful supplementary information about a person’s emotional state. For example, excessive blinking is thought to be an indication that someone is lying and raised eyebrows communicate surprise.