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.