MASTERING THE POWER OF THE PERFECT SMILE- 
PAINTING YOUR PUBLIC CHARACTER
by Dr. Veronica Greene / Carmen Regalo
Edited by: Leonard M. Gettz, MBA


Science uncovered that it takes 43 muscles to frown and only 15 to smile. This means that it takes physically more work to facially express misery. We can also assume from this theory that by nature, we are typically joyful beings who gravitate to positive experiences.

Under the study of body language, facial expression holds a complete library of messages from subtle hints to bold expletives. Mastering these expressions constitute the "art of communication"- leading to other social powers like seduction, persuasion or motivation.

CONTROLLING THE FACIAL IMPULSE: All the muscles and sections of the face make up the high-speed expression billboard exposing your thoughts and emotions to the public. To maintain a balanced relationship with the world around us, we work to FILTER, SUPPRESS or CONCEAL our body's automatic will to express contrary thoughts facially through the use of a POKERFACE. We fight our face's subtlest responses such as a micro-frown, a sudden twitch of an eyebrow or a mini crinkle of the nose as these may unconsciously emerge in response to something unpleasant. These actions can easily give away your true feelings to someone without your control. A great example of this is when we try to deny an accusation or persuade someone about something we ourselves to not believe in.

WINDOWS TO THE SOUL
The PR engine of any public figure is packaged by their well-engineered visual image.  Critics often have a field day with celebrities and politicians as they try to leverage what truly lurks behind that celebrated smile.  Can we trust them? Are they up to no good?  Will they keep their promise? ... or do they truly have what it takes to change the world? 

Mastering the smile to create the desired public impression is probably the single most difficult craft for any social communicator. Always cautious of being caught off guard, personalities whose reputation is largely based on public impression are slave to the full-time responsibility of keeping a consistent behavior and the right smile under the public eye. With the power of high-speed media messaging (and ruthless editorial translation), a single photo catching a world leader touting a less-than-favorable expression can send tremors to the country's confidence rating and suffering the scrutiny of judgement and speculation.  

Where NOT smiling has its own meaning to the public persuasion effort, establishing your leadership means knowing what kind of smile to use in any given event to express your level of sincerity and fortitude.  The smile can paint an impression (true or not) of how you are to be received by others while conveying the character you hope to build publicly.

Translating this to your own public image, there is much to lose when your facial muscles have no buffer between your innermost thoughts and your public window. To master your facial expressions is to control which thoughts you wish the public to receive, and what message they should be getting. In business or in your personal life, persuading others with a smile is largely powerful while employing the wrong expression can misrepresent you to others- leading to miscommunication and possible distrust.  (excerpt from chapter 22)

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GOING ON A DATE is one of life's best challenges for managing facial expressions. To present your best side and to explore your compatibility, you find the need to control yourself from expressing too much or inaccurately. To pull off TOO MUCH SMILE can lead your date to misreading extreme interest whereas having little or no eye contact, activating the frown muscles, a wince or a grimace paints a negative vibe. There's also the term "smiling eyes" which employs the way you look at your partner through a calculated bat of an an eyelash, raising an eyebrow, regulating the rate of your blinking in coordination with your whole body language. This constitutes the entire recipe for conveying "come hither".

Science uncovered that it takes 43 muscles to frown and only 15 to smile. This means that it takes physically more work to facially express misery. We can also assume from this theory that by nature, we are typically joyful beings who gravitate to positive experiences. - See more at: http://responseli.com/FEATURE2_DATING.html#sthash.1Bl3H499.dpuf

BOOK SAMPLER: MASTERING THE POWER OF THE PERFECT SMILE- by Dr. Veronica Greene - See more at: http://responseli.com/FEATURE2_DATING.html#sthash.1Bl3H499.dpuf

BOOK SAMPLER: MASTERING THE POWER OF THE PERFECT SMILE- by Dr. Veronica Greene - See more at: http://responseli.com/FEATURE2_DATING.html#sthash.1Bl3H499.dpuf

Solid Business Networking from Personal Principles
Written by: Leonard M. Gettz & Carmen Regalo
How2 Video: Karin Caro

No business would survive or grow without alliances, role models, partners or trusted confidants from a network.  Let it be a source of education or resources, connections provide a great influence in some of the more vital leadership decisions to build and grow any company.  

All networks (business and personal) are organic and are living, breathing beings.  They constantly need upkeep, interaction and love. Building a circle of trusted allies does not happen overnight but a solid network of partners with a wealth of experience & intuition and the generosity to share it with you is a priceless asset to your future.  

If you compare a true friend with a true business ally, there's very little difference between the 'rules' of engagement in creating business alliances and establishing personal friendships. Both tell you to 'do the right thing', choose wisely and give with caution.

As with the explosion of today's E-social arena (where dating sites are countless and meet-up parties are everywhere), today's b2b networking community is just as vast and busy. So many places and websites to connect in- adding to the complexity and confusion.  This demands a solid game plan that includes knowing your limitations and focus on networks that make the most sense to you. 

1) If you decide to join a networking group, join only a few and pick them carefully based on what feels like HOME-- where the members all have great commonalities with you

2) When you attend an event, always focus on LOOKING FOR JUST THAT ONE person. Don't be overwhelmed by the crowd- know that most of them are not for you.

3) Seeking candidates for your network is a genuine investment of your time, but is also an investment in your practice's future and direction

SEARCHING FOR CANDIDATES FOR YOUR INNER CIRCLE
Who gets in the inner circle?  It starts with those you can TRUST.  Everyone is looking for synergy but this is as difficult to find as CHEMISTRY in the personal sector.  Much of networking is to search for 'that person' whom you can build something with.  You need to be very selective to know their VALUES and VISION as they relate to yours.  Choosing well can drive you both to exciting areas of mutual growth whereas letting in the 'wrong' people can be a terrible liability to your time, resources or work flow and can ultimately do damage from inside.

RANKING YOUR CONNECTIONS WITH CAUTION
As a practicing networker, you are always seeking new candidates for your circle.  Start by meeting the "maybe's" and work them carefully from being an outsider into an insider.  Like friends, they range from a best friend (or the proverbial BFF) to the casual pal.  Thus, there should be many ranks in one's network that range from the completely trusted ally to part-time prospect - usually dictated by how you two hit things off.  Some are "whirlwind romances" that take off then fizz out- while others slowly mature over time- or not. This ranking system is not something you rush- and it is usually something that happens intuitively.  By proceeding all relationships with a healthy level of caution, it paves a positive road of complete awareness while taking the debilitating element of fear (leading to over-caution) or hasty choices away from your decision-making process.  And keep in mind, once they get in the circle, the next job is MAINTENANCE of the connectivity, trust and credibility.

BUILD GENUINE CONNECTIONS
To create a successful network, it does not pay to mislead people.  Give only what you can, ask questions that really matter and focus on the goal that is about MUTUAL GROWTH.  Remember, success with ANY relationship or partnership comes from starting from common ground and genuine sharing.


KNOWING YOURSELF, YOUR NEEDS & YOUR VISION
The mistake that most individuals make when networking is misleading others because they themselves don't know themselves.  The fact that "networking means business" does not mean you solicit people or look upon them as potential client sources.

As a networker, you need to be prepared for the many types of relationships that are out there waiting for you.  Different people add different things to the table- and all are acceptable types of contacts. Just a short list include:
 - preferred vendors or hired consultants for your personal use
 - preferred vendors for sharing with other friends
 - end users or clients
 - business or project partners (joint ventures)
 - educational references for ideas or resources
 - lead sharing / referral sources
 - unofficial promoters: referring you to others
 - official reps: commissioned promoters

To establish a solid foundation is to build the right connection in DAY ONE.  Know your common ground with them and where your synergy lies. Oftentimes, you have a number of needs and things to offer but to know what they are takes the confusion away later.  Having that well-defined starting point makes for a healthy and mutually-benefiting connection that can grow into other types of bonds later.