The Power of a Smile
The Power of a Smile
Take the simple gesture of a smile. Smiling is an innate ability and appears to be fairly universal, however the way we use a smile for communication is determined by the culture we grew up in.
It is quite usual for Canadians to smile at complete strangers. We smile at people on the street, in restaurants, at the airport, and in grocery stores. Canadians consider smiling to be a friendly gesture. However, in other cultures a smile may convey a completely different meaning. A smile may be reserved for immediate family and friends only, it may signal embarrassment, anger, confusion or emotional pain. It may also be used to disguise true feelings, to say “please” or “excuse me”. In some cultures smiling at strangers in public may even be considered unusual or suspicious behaviour!
In Canada, a smiling face (or lack thereof) can affect how other people view us, and can have an influence on both professional and personal aspects of our lives. With this in mind, and particularly if you are new to Canada, I invite you to re-assess your judgment of colleagues, business partners, neighbours and acquaintances, especially those you have, until now, perhaps deemed too friendly or too hostile!
