Effective Communication With NLP & The Enneagram

When someone gives you a smile, what is the most natural response you would give?

I hope you said a smile too because researches have shown that smiling is contagious and we would very naturally return a smile with one as well. Smiling is an important part of communication, both in our personal lives, as well as our workplace. In fact, smiling is one of the most powerful elements of non verbal communication.

Smiling allows you to overcome barriers and open doors to new opportunities. So it’s good to smile all the time. However, there will be situations where you don’t feel like smiling. Perhaps you are feeling lethargic after a hard day’s work, or maybe you encountered something unpleasant.

Well, the good news is that our body is wired to our mind. So by changing either your physical or emotional state, you can still generate a smile.

Physical state – When you are in a lethargic physical state, such as slouching or slumping into the chair, your mind reacts by going into the same state too.

Of course, this means you can get into an empowered state simply by changing your physiology. Sit or walk straight, chest up, and put your lips together. Lift up the ends into a smiling shape, feel your eyes twinkle, and you’ll find your mood improving naturally.

Emotional state – This is essentially also the mental state because happiness is all in our minds. If we want to be happy, we will be happy.

So when you’re finding it difficult to smile, think happy thoughts. Think about the time you went to the beach, the waves and the cool breeze on you. Think about a joke you heard, a loved one, or something nice that happened to you. The moment you put yourself into a calm and happier state of mind, smiling becomes easy. So there you go. Start smiling more today, and reap the benefits that come along. Also, smiling makes you more approachable, and increases your influence!