Why Being Told to ‘Smile More’ Is Missing The Point
It is incredibly hard to give and receive feedback when it comes to facial expressions. This is because facial expressions are one of the most personal aspects of the way we express and communicate with others. Too often, people are told to smile more, or bigger. At its worst, this kind of surface feedback might create a very fake, almost creepy smile that doesn’t reach the eyes, or it can significantly disconnect the speaker from how they really feel in the moment, and create an over reliance on a cheery disposition, even at times when it is not appropriate. At Virtual Sapiens, we are very thoughtful about how we provide feedback on facial expressions. For us, it isn’t about counting how many times you smile. Instead, we have designed algorithms that monitor changes in facial expressions. Our goal is to help you develop awareness around what you are expressing with your face, and when, and to avoid moments of ‘frozen face’ (or…RBF – you can google that one for yourself). Our analysis is based on variance in facial expressions. This way, we can help you build dynamic muscle memory around keeping your face engaged and varying in expression that you decide is appropriate to the context at hand. You can always see how this works for yourself by giving our assessment a free trial! Check out the short video below that dives into the real power of facial expression variation as a true indicator of engagement and communication skill. https://youtu.be/s8ufCkHDZKc
Top 25 Future of Work Blogs
In a recent conversation with a prospect, I was told: “I can tell you that every fintech company is looking at how to use video. (…) There is a ton of activity in this space so if you can tailor your value prop to this it could become compelling.” What this statement brings to light, is every company’s mad dash towards figuring out what on earth tomorrow will look like, let alone the next 5-10 years. While the entry of ChatGPT onto the market has taken much of the focus and energy (and rightly so given it’s exciting, and terrifying, presence), there are many other trends to keep a sharp eye on. In particular: The way people connect and communicate, the use of video not only in live video conferencing, but in asynchronous, marketing and sales efforts. The balance of remote/hybrid work and how to build culture effectively The constant evolution of demographics and how recruiting can keep up On our blog, we focus on the evolution of communication, the intersection between humans and AI and of course, the use of video as core to the future of work. We are proud to have been selected as one of the top 25 Future of Work blogs to follow along with other top names in the space. Check out the others here and let us know what future of work questions are on your mind!
The Real ROI and Power of Posture
Posture is one of the very first metrics we developed at Virtual Sapiens. With our assessment and in-call Sidekick tools, our AI can tell if you are slouched forwards, backwards, or off to one side. The main reason we started with posture, is that it is a very ‘loud nonverbal cue’ AND our required use of computers, tablets and iPhones’ have dramatically increased poor posture and ‘Tech Neck’. Whether you like it or not, your posture is always sending a message. Developing awareness around moments when your posture droops or falls can be a significant advantage in terms of controlling the impression you send to others. Intuitively we know that good posture is supportive of (and thus associated with) better health and longevity. Research also links posture with confidence, both in the signals we project to others, and also in the way our posture affects the way we feel about ourselves. Recently, additional studies have been added that further support the relationship between posture and a felt-sense of confidence. In this study, we see that our posture affects our own self-evaluation. With participants reporting more confident and positive self-evaluations when writing with upright and open postures, vs. more negative self-evaluations with closed off/stopping postures. In this study, we saw participants who typically under-performed or experienced high anxiety/stress during math tests, performed significantly better when they applied themselves in an open and upright posture vs. closed and stopped. We understand the links between felt-senses of confidence and the confidence we project. This is particularly critical for professionals who have to perform under pressure, who have to show up and pitch clients on value and trustworthiness etc. Understanding the power of posture both as a critical support of our physical and mental health, allows us to see the immense value of this seemingly simple nonverbal. There are two things that are active barriers to improve posture: 🖥 Our reliance on screens for hours and hours in a day, actively draws our head forward, thus instigating the foundations of poor posture.🧎🏻 Rewiring ages old habits, requires frequent and consistent reminders, ideally in the actual moment of stopped posture itself. While it would be wonderful to have colleagues and friends around us to poke and prode us into good posture, at Virtual Sapiens, we figured having a subtle, private coach in your corner would be more convenient, and effective. Our real-time nudge technology meets professionals where they are, helping them build new muscle memory to support better business outcomes. If you or your team could benefit from a dose of improved posture (which let’s face it, everyone could!), let’s chat.
When Filler Words Can Actually Be Helpful…
Filler words…the trendiest metric most AI tools will measure. But are they really that bad? Wouldn’t it sound robotic if you didn’t using a single ‘um’, ‘ah’ or ‘you know’? Understanding the psychology behind filler words can help us understand why we might want to avoid them for the most part…but also why we might indeed want to use them strategically in certain scenarios. Why We Tend To Use Filler Words In general, we fill pauses, or gaps in sound with ‘filler words’. Instead of pausing, taking a breath, and continuing with real, meaning based words, we say something like ‘um’, ‘uh’, ‘ah’. Instead of finishing a sentence as a statement, we will often add a ‘ya know?’ Why We Want To Avoid Using Filler Words It’s easy to see how vocal expressions like this can really detract from a message delivered with clarity and authority. With these examples in mind, becoming more aware of the types of ‘vocal fluff’ we use and when, is important. Ultimately, we want to have a clean, clear and crisp vocal presence. You can check out our video on the subject here, or below. BUT… https://youtu.be/nAABpkgPKM0 Why We Might WANT To Use Filler Words There are also scenarios in which adding in some filler words can be helpful: 📢 If you are getting interrupted a lot. Maintaining the speaking baton with a well leveraged filler word can help you maintain the vocal floor. 💛 If you are trying to speak more colloquially, to a colleague or a friend, having less than perfect vocal real estate can help people build rapport. It’s for these two reasons that we find filler word counters so tricky. Without knowing the exact context and intention, some filler words sometimes can actually be helpful. This being said, if you are delivering a speech, a recording, a pitch, it is always best to go with the cleanest vocal presence possible. When every word counts, and when pausing can really accentuate authority and confidence – you don’t want to lose expensive real estate to unintentional filler words. What do you think? Try out our Virtual Presence Assessment tool to see how you do in our other nonverbal communication metrics.
The Difference Between Intonation Variation and Uptalk
Vocal cues are a core element of nonverbal communication. The way we communicate specific words adds important nuance to the message we send. Included within vocal cues, are qualities like: 🔊 Volume📈 Intonation variation⬆️ Uptalk (also known as uptick or upspeak)🛑 Pausing🐌 Pacing (Speech Speed) Although there are others, these are certainly some of the most powerful ways to add nuance and conviction to what you are saying. In most cases, you can completely change the underlying meaning of what you are saying, not by changing the words, but by changing the way you say those words. While most of the above are intuitive to understand, intonation variation and uptalk deserve a little more attention. Varying your speech is a total vocal power move. You can keep your audience more engaged, add clarity around your intention and feelings behind a message and ensure your message is landing with maximum impact. However! Oftentimes, people will incorporate an increase in intonation at the end of statements or sentences, with the tone going ‘up’ at the end, mimicking the format of a question. Indicating when something is a question is, of course, a critical component of our expression. However, if we are expressing a statement, or opinion, and do not want to introduce doubt or display lower authority, we want to ensure that our attempts at vocal variation don’t turn into uptalk. Check out this video for some examples of how you can use intonation variation effectively, without introducing uptalk and doubt, into your speech. You can see how you perform in the category of vocal intonation by running through a free assessment here. https://youtu.be/HG55pksxDlc
The Uncanny Valley of ‘Eye Gaze Redirect’ AI
The Nvidia ‘eye gaze redirect’ feature has been causing a stir. Apple also has this option for FaceTime. In essence, this application of AI redirects your eye gaze to make it appear as though you are looking into the lens at all times when you are on video. At first glance, this might seem like a total no-brainer since eye gaze is so tricky on video. When we pull the hood back however, we can see some real issues with this significant adjustment to something that is in fact, highly nuanced, and personal. The way we express with our eyes is idiosyncratic, meaning that everyone has a different ‘eye contact cadence’. The following are just a smattering of examples of how people vary their eye gaze, with each person having their own flavor.👁️ Blink rate While there are average blink rates, people blink differently and at a different rate, there are also a number of nonverbal cues that can be derived from changes in someone’s blink rate). 👀 Looking away and to the left/right/up or downWhether it’s to the left, to the right, upwards and to the right etc. people have unique habits around these that add flavor to our facial expressions and delivery. 😳 😏 Eye widening or narrowing (Squinting)To express interest, surprise, shock, slyness/mischievousness etc., the way we widen, narrow or squint our eyes is a critical component of expressing that clearly. Unsurprisingly, current AI eye gaze redirect technology is binary – adjusting eye gaze to look directly into the lens. No matter what. This presents a big problem because we are losing all of the above eye gaze cues, and more. The tech doesn’t know if you intended to look away or not, but it will keep your eyes fixed into the lens. This is creepy. (Take a look at the couple of images below for examples) There are really only three reasons* why one would wish to not break eye contact with someone, and they are: If you are attracted/amorous of someone (you literally can’t take your eyes off of them) If you are under threat (You won’t allow your enemy out of sight) If you are about to attack (You won’t take your eyes off of your target) *shudder* None of those sound like appropriate behaviors during a professional video call. This is troublesome…and we haven’t even touched the ethical issue of deception. If I am talking to someone who is distracted or multitasking as shown above…I want to know. This is critical information as I am spending time building a relationship over video. Will this tech evolve? Necessarily. But for now, at Virtual Sapiens, we like to focus on using AI to help the actual humans develop skills they can own fully, helping them be intentional about when they look into the lens, and when they don’t. Avoid the uncanny valley of unblinking, arbitrary, direct eye gaze and instead, learn how to enhance your personal eye contact cadence for both in-person and video based interactions. *Source: Desmond Morris, ‘People Watching’
Virtual Backgrounds…Yes, or No?
It is common to spend a lot of time considering the nonverbals of body language. But what about the nonverbal messages we may be sending with things like our clothing…or our backgrounds in virtual meetings? Our background sends a strong nonverbal message in virtual settings. The debate around virtual or real backgrounds has waged since the very early days of the pandemic. While much has evolved since the days of work from home mandates, for those of us who decide, or have opted for a remote element as part of our professional experience, learning how to navigate virtual or real backgrounds is critical to showing up as a prepared, savvy and professional person. At Virtual Sapiens, we are strongly in favor of leveraging real backgrounds whenever possible. And according to a recent survey, we are not alone. This recent study led by HBR marked that only 7.5% of respondents had a positive perception of virtual backgrounds over real/actual room backgrounds. BUT! What if you are traveling and don’t want to show your hotel room bed in the background? What if your company requires the use of a branded virtual background? Or perhaps you are just uncomfortable with showing any aspects of your personal home/room decor in a professional setting. Whatever the reason for deciding to use a virtual over a real background, check out this short video and our points below for some pro tips on how to think about setting yourself up for success whether you use a virtual background or a real one. Tips for real backgrounds: Keep it simple and uncluttered – you can greatly enhance your audience’s ability to focus if you have fewer items in your background Make sure there are no moving objects, or windows (ideally) to avoid distraction A few intentional items can go a long way in helping you appear more unique, and personable. This is often far stronger than a blank, white wall. Tips for virtual backgrounds: Use a green screen (this helps keep the virtual background stable) Consider blurred instead of full on virtual if you are in a location where the above is not possible. Use a branded or office environment background – avoid the ‘fun and quirky’ stock virtual background options – these are great for a virtual happy hour, but for professional meetings can easily send the wrong message about your own level of professionalism What are your favorite background tips?
Nonverbal Mimicry and Cooperation – Does It Work On Video?
Dr. Marono is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to rigorous studies and research in the space of behavioral science and nonverbal communication. Our community wanted to know if there were any studies she has published recently that can help us better understand the nuances of this element of communication and connection. Take a look a Dr. Marono’s own research in nonverbal mimicry and cooperation. This is something Dr. Marono has studied in person, and also over video due to constraints turned into opportunities during the pandemic. In this short video, Dr. Marono summarizes some of her recent research into nonverbal mimicry, what it is, what it is not, and what happens on video. For anyone who is interested in understanding more about trust, cooperation and influence in communication – you should pay attention to this.
Face Touching and How It Affects Your Presence
Face touching…a common, but complex, category of nonverbals. Our face and heads are primary components of our expressivity. Through our faces, we speak and express emotions. Our heads indicate our consideration and interpretations as listeners and contribute to our postural stances. As humans, we interact with our own faces in very idiosyncratic ways, and while for most of us these habits can feel very normal and comfortable, for our audience we can often end up sending messages we do not strictly intend. Check out this short video demonstrating the three main categories of face touching and read on below to understand what you might be missing: https://youtu.be/v30QY4HdRv0 Head in Hand Placing our head in our hands often occurs as a way to help keep our head straight when it is off it’s axis. The effect can be one of fatigue, exhaustion, disinterest Hand over Mouth Having our hand over our mouths when speaking, is a barrier to communication, especially over video This can often muffle our words, and as many people follow lip movement as they listen, can even make it difficult for the listener to hear and retain information Repeated Face Touching While we all touch our faces to scratch an itch, tuck hair behind our ears, stroke a beard, it is the repeated nature of these nonverbals that can send an unintentional message Repeated face touching, a specific hand to face motion that is repeated frequently over the course of an interaction, can be distracting for the listener. In some cases, it may also lower the impression of authority, as it can be perceived as nervous energy. Our assessment product at Virtual Sapiens assesses for each of these three types of face touching behaviors. Since our assessment is specifically designed to promote self-awareness, you can quickly understand your own idiosyncratic habits in one quick presence assessment.
AMA: “What is ‘Inappropriate Affect?'”
Have you ever been speaking with someone and they are saying one thing, but their nonverbals are saying another? ‘Yes – super excited about that…’ May be the words that come out of their mouths, but their body language and vocal tone is suggesting a complete lack of interest… Body posture is stooped, eye gaze is averted, facial expressions are not reacting or varying based on information exchanged (‘dead pan). We have likely all observed this as a listener…and perhaps have been called out on it ourselves. So..what is inappropriate affect exactly? When our nonverbals don’t align with our words or our intention, we call this ‘incongruence’. It can also be referred to as ‘inappropriate affect’. In essence, when what one person expects to see expressed and what actually gets expressed, don’t align. Inappropriate affect can lead to serious communication misfires. https://youtu.be/t2GZ_szRAbc The good news, is that you can often get out ahead of this through the development of self-awareness. In a tactful way, you can share with your audience that for ‘x’ reason, (perhaps it’s a surgery or medication, perhaps you’ve had a really tough day or are getting over feeling ill etc.) you may seem to come across one way, even though you really feel another way about the topic at hand. Being able to articulately claim inappropriate affect takes a lot of awareness. In fact, oftentimes you may even think that it’s just not that obvious….but over video in particular – you are on full display, and any disconnect between your video presence and what your audience expects to see, can really throw a wrench into the goal of communication and connection. Tools like the Virtual Sapiens Assessment or in-call Sidekick can help with the development of deeper self-awareness when it comes to your nonverbals. In using tools like these, you can quickly get a gut check to ensure that what you intend to communicate, is in fact what others perceive. Start your journey towards communication effectiveness today with a free trial!