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Too many people in
business communicate with a stoic “business mask”. At
Speechworks, we constantly urge our clients to lighten up and speak
with a smile or at least a more relaxed, engaged facial energy.
Similarly, great
photographers have worked for years in trying to battle that stoic
facial expression that seems to hit people that feel “put on the
spot.” The most famous approach is perhaps to tell people to “say cheese!”
A more novel
approach to battling facial gravitas was hit upon by celebrity
photographer Philippe Halsman, whose photos are featured at the
Smithsonian Institution among other places.
During his photo
sessions with famous people, Halsman would end by asking them to
jump up in the air. The idea was to see whether the process of
jumping would get their face to loosen up.
To see some of the photographs and read about
Philippe Halsman, click here.
The resulting
photographs of Richard Nixon, Marilyn Monroe, the Duke and Duchess
of Windsor and many others became famous in the world of art
photography. Writing for Smithsonian.com, photography critic Owen
Edwards wrote:
“Portraiture is one of the greatest challenges in photography because
the human face is elusive and often mask-like, with practiced
expressions for the standard range of emotions. Some photographers
accept these preset expressions—think of annual-report portraits of
corporate officers—and others try to eliminate expression
altogether, to get a picture as neutral as a wanted poster. Halsman
was determined to show his sitters with their masks off but their
true selves in place.”
At Speechworks, we
haven’t yet tried getting our clients to jump up in the air to
become better presenters. But who knows? If it worked for Halsman,
maybe we should give it a try.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
