Face Value...

Welcome to the fortnightly newsletter on all things faces, body language, and emotions.

I'm here to assist you in focusing on marketing and advertising effectiveness strategies and how to use facial expressions and body language to increase business and/or brand engagement and sales.

Key Visual Kutcha and King

Look no further than the images above if you're sceptical about the impact body language and facial expressions have on the images you use in your campaigns.

I had been invited to speak at a Brand PR influencer event and decided to try out the photo booth. I stood in front of the camera without thinking and had my picture taken; the result is the image on the left. As you might expect, I was not pleased with the finished product (left image of me)! I decided to change my posture to one of genuine happiness and confidence, and the result is the image on the right. A big difference...

These two images emphasise the significance of creating genuinely engaging emotional content for your marketing. Apart from being used to highlight what happens when you don't consider body language and facial expressions when creating images, the image on the left will never see the light of day again! Whereas the image on the right, where I chose how I want my audience to see me, will be used for a variety of marketing purposes. Something to think about!

Face Whisperer Teaches

Do you always need to show happy, smiling people in campaign imagery?

NO!

Jamie Whitehouse, a research fellow at Nottingham Trent University, has discovered that visible signs of stress are often appealing; leaving others predisposed to like and treat us warmly.

So, if it's appropriate for your brand and context, you don't need to resort to fake happy or poker (neutral) faces, simply because you’re not confident in understanding facial expressions and their perceived meanings...

Display nervousness and stress in your brand's models and your customers will connect with that emotional authenticity, empathy is a powerful tool!

Just make sure the expression is genuine or the effect will be lost.

Here's my anxiety facial expression, with the key components that show my anxiety through muscle movements highlighted.

Body Language Basics

How many meetings do you have planned for next week either virtually or in-person?

Here are some signs to look for to get a sense of what isn't being said but is happening...

1. Verbally agreeing to something but shaking their head 'no' - in this case, trust the body language as the true message rather than the verbal words.
2. The'steepled' hands - a sign that the person engaging in this behaviour is confident of what is going on.

3. The 'pistol steepled' hands - this is seen in someone who has the ability to shoot something down and is about to do so when you see this movement...

Don't underestimate the negative consequences of miscommunication in the workplace!

According to one study, miscommunication can have a significant emotional impact on you and your team, in addition to reducing productivity.

Loss of morale, stress, and frustration are common when you do not connect fully with your colleagues, bosses, and clients.

While it may not be possible to eliminate all stress and frustration from your workplace, better communication and connection will alleviate some of it and being able to read your colleague's body language and facial expressions will help you communicate better than ever.

Lie to Me - The Membership

We are opening the doors again for more new members.

We've had two great live sessions with our members in the last few weeks, and in one of them, we explained eight different neck behaviours so that they can apply what they've learned in their personal and professional lives.

Here's a hint to help you get a sense of what goes on in the membership.

When someone exposes their neck, one of two things may be happening:

? They appear to be at ease and open.

? This is frequently observed in the behaviour of new couples as their relationship develops.

? Could indicate flirting (remember, context is king!).

? Can be used to de-escalate confrontational behaviour.

In the second session, we had a great hour discussing all things Intuition with the members and how to start using your intuition to improve your life...

Some free pdf's and info from the membership can be found here: https://linktr.ee/lietomethemembership

Application to join the membership - Click here

Let's Talk

I'd love to hear about your people issues, whether they relate to marketing images or in-person communications. Just drop me a message or use the link below to get a slot in my calendar.

Here's the link:?https://letsmeet.io/adriannecarter1/1-to-1-chat

If you're interested in marketing critiques, send me the images you're using and I'll privately give you feedback on the emotional impact you're making.

https://adriannecarter.com/send-me-your-images/

I have a free 30-minute presentation that will help you and your team learn more about faces and how they can benefit your brand or business,?"The Business of People."?Just let me know a time and location, and I'll gladly deliver it for you.

Adrianne

[email protected]

+44 (0)7841 637 558