Is Your Face Leaking Microexpressions?

By Brian Maynor

 

When it comes to negotiations reading someone’s body language, tone, jesters and facial expressions are crucial to achieving your desired outcome, even if they last only a split second.

Microexpressions are involuntary and spontaneous reactions that leak, or flash across someone’s face, when they are in intense emotional situations. They last about one twenty-fifth of a second. In comparison, normal expressions last between one-half and four seconds and often repeat. So not only do you have to pay attention, you need to know what you’re looking for if you want to gain the advantage of an honest, unfiltered window into your opponent’s mind.

Here are a few keys and tips on how best to bring out someone’s microexpressions:

1.    Key Emotions. When it comes to negotiations, there are six major emotions to look for: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, contempt, and surprise.

2.    Focus on the face. It’s very easy to manipulate body language and even facial expressions, so it is important to take some time and focus on your opponent’s face and relate it to what they are saying. The six major emotions can all play out through subtle shifts on the face, particularly movement of the eyes, nose and mouth.

3.    Avoid open-ended questions. When we are talking it is much easier to control our expressions, but when we have to listen it becomes much harder. Listening tends to lower our guard and when can watch for reactions to specific phrases, anecdotes or stories.

4.    List options. One of the best ways to find out what someone’s thinking is to provide various options and watch how they respond to each one. You can learn a lot of valuable information to use as the negotiations progress by what you observe after each choice.

Words, manners, and body language can be carefully modulated and controlled through practice to hide or mimic a specific emotion, but microexpressions are honest and most accurate because they are involuntary and instantaneous. So they next time you’re in a conversation or angling for a particular outcome, pay a little more attention to your counterpart’s face and not just what they are saying.

 

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I am always curious to hear from you and what you see in the workplace. Send your questions, comments and pet peeves to [email protected]. Also find each of these storyboards at http://brianmaynor.polyvore.com with links to purchase each item.

 

About Brian Maynor

Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.