Avoid a self-awareness failure

I’ve always thought that the antidote to ‘resting bitch face’ would be a mirror or a video camera. Surely once a person observed their own grumpy expressionthey would be inclined to smile, even if it was forced.

The recent plethora of Zoom meetings has disproven my hypothesis.

Despite the visibility of individual digital images portrayed on the meeting screen, I have been blown away at how many strange expressions I have observed:

• The ‘perma-scowl’. Glaring off to the side of the screen for the whole meeting.

• The ‘hand-face cover’ where the participant pretends that no one will notice them if they hide behind half of their hand.

• The ‘distracted child’ where the participant doesn’t even try to hide the fact that they are completing their week’s social media feed on their second screen.

• Or any of the other grouchy, pouty, whiny, scowly, or otherwise disgruntled expressions.

This tells me that there may be a deeper problem… a lack of self-awareness.

Expressions, like attitudes, are contagious.

Next time you are with your team on a virtual meeting show them you appreciate them by being intentional about an infectious virtual presence.

Share your contagious smile.

• Now that’s a peak ethos!