Word Of the Week #535: Smile
November 5, 2014 by Susan Clarke
Smile – a change of facial expression involving a brightening of the eyes and an upward curving of the corners of the mouth.
When was the last time someone smiled at you? Does it happen daily? Weekly? How did it make you feel? How often do you smile?
This is #4 of my 7 Simple Steps of Service. Did you know that there are 80 muscles in the face capable of making 7000 expressions? And it only takes one to show enjoyment, while most of the other emotions require the actions of three to five muscles.
In Loving Memory of Dixie Who Had a Great Smile!
A smile is the easiest expression to recognize and can be seen further away (300 feet) and with a briefer exposure than other emotional expression. Did you also know that it’s almost impossible not to reciprocate a smile? People do so even if the smile they reciprocate is one shown in a photograph!
And like I wrote last week, for those of you who spend any time on the phone, put a smile on your face and the tone of your voice will instantly change.
And this quote comes from long time friend and consultant Bill Marvin, the Restaurant Doctor, “If you want a crew that smiles (and you definitely want a crew that smiles), you have to hire smiling people. The rest you can train … but I have never found a way to teach people how to smile. And treat your team the way you want them to treat your guests. The better they feel about themselves, the more they will smile. The more they smile, the better your guests will feel. The better your guests feel, the more they will patronize you … and the more that happens, the better YOU will feel!”
This week focus on smiling. Do you feel that instant connection and sense of recognition when you are the recipient of the smile? How does a smile make your customers, members, clients, and guests feel? Notice a different response from them? What kind of an example are you setting?
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