Smiles that travel miles in universal styles! | Daily News

Smiles that travel miles in universal styles!

It is just about the first rule of service: Smile! It is intended to indicate welcome, warmth and willingness to help. And a million service managers will remind new service recruits to smile because it makes a difference to the customer, even on the phone.

But more than just the service industry it applies to everyday social and working life as well. Do you want to be the person who walks into a room and lights it up with your smile? Smiling seems to come more naturally to some people than others, but like any habit, it gets much easier with practice. Smiling raises your spirits and makes other people happy - it's a very powerful expression.

When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier all round. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Keep smiling and you will draw people to you.

You have to really sympathise with people with demanding jobs. All right, thousands of you are hard working skilled employees or professionals who are occupied in stressful and exacting occupations. But all you folks have it easy compared with the poor souls who, despite being paid miserable wages and measly benefits, are required to smile all day.

For those in hospitality, airline, retail and most any service industry, I would not like to be in your shoes, and ‘walk the talk’ in such testing vocations. In effect, let me assure all you servers out there that I feel your pain.

Still, some studies suggest that just the act of smiling actually makes one feel happier. Smile with your eyes. A wholehearted smile will naturally draw in the eyes. This natural smile is not something you can fake; when you're forced to smile for photos, your eyes don't smile. It's only when you truly feel like smiling that you flash a real smile. The smiling eyes are essential for a genuine, warm smile.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” It is true that your simple smile can brighten someone’s day in a moment’s notice. Too often we underestimate the power of a smile. Although it may be considered the smallest act of caring and it takes little or no effort on our part, it has the power to turn a life around—in fact more than one. Like the ripple effect of a pebble tossed into a pond, your smile will spread far beyond the first person who receives it. You never know how many people will benefit because you smiled first. As most great marketers would tell you, retail is part selling and part psychology, and in this case it's true for both shoppers and employees. People are sometimes offended by the type of a smile that one makes even though one is not willing to smile. Meaning it is not a spontaneous smile and can be construed as forced, unnatural or mechanical. No, I am not an anti-smiling lobbyist. I know smiling helps your immune system. Yes it does release natural endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Still, I have learnt from experience that if a man smiles all the time, he’s probably selling something that doesn’t work. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying you shouldn’t smile if you feel like smiling. No one wants to be around a ‘moosala’ personality who constantly wears a hangdog expression.

I know at times it can seem impossible, but even forcing a smile can make you feel a little better. And you’ll definitely feel better when your smiles are reciprocated with smiles from happy customers. But a genuine smile, one that comes from the heart, is a gift. It simply can’t be bought, begged, borrowed or badgered out of someone.

Certainly it is true that some people simply fake it. I mean they have a plastered almost permanent beam on their mugs that seem to have been passed through a strainer. But a real smile is a curve that usually sets things right even in the most explosive situations. But be aware that that a smile is contagious? It costs nothing to give, but reaps great rewards for both the receiver and the giver. When someone smiles at you, always smile back. I always wonder why people don’t smile at me when I smile at them. The more you smile, the easier it gets. Smile when you answer your phone. People can hear the difference in your voice, and it can produce positive results.

As we age, we tend to forget to smile enough. Kids smile all the time, just to show their pure joy at being in the world. We grown-ups tend to forget to smile.

Smiling makes others feel welcome, special, and appreciated. So when you are with your friends, family, and co-workers be aware of your demeanour.

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.

You might be surprised by how much of an impact a simple smile can have on how others perceive you. People will see you as friendly, happy, and an all-around positive person. Not smiling, on the other hand, may have others walking a wide berth around you.

There may be days when you don't feel like smiling, but those are often the very days you need to the most. Showing grumpiness will only enhance the feelings that run deep. I attended a public relations seminar once and was impressed by the female speaker who said: “On days when I smile at people while I'm out and about, I come home even happier than when I left. Others have told me that my joy radiated toward them and helped lift their spirits. Since it's free and makes almost everyone feel better, I think it's an important aspect of good manners.”

Smiling is a universal sign of great body language. While handshakes, hugs, and bows all have varying meanings across cultures, smiling is known around the world and in all cultures as a sign of happiness and acceptance. Besides you don’t need translations. Everyone smiles in the same language.

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