How to Build Rapport While Wearing a Mask

Research shows that when someone smiles while their eyes look angry, fearful, sad or neutral - they are perceived as not friendly.

Masks, while a necessary tool in fighting the pandemic, hide a part of our face that is an important form of expression. Following are some ideas for communicating effectively while still helping to keep the workplace safe by wearing a mask.

Avoid clear masks unless necessary. Some people find them unsettling and they have a tendency to fog up. However, wear a clear mask  if you work with someone who is hard of hearing as being able to see your lips move will help with communication.

Practice your mask voice. You will want to raise the volume a little bit to be heard. Speak slowly and clearly and enunciate the beginnings and ends of words as the masks muffle everything. By varying your rate, pitch, tone, and volume you can more accurately convey emotion.

Practice Active Listening. When another person is speaking, show interest by periodically nodding and making sounds of understanding like “mmm, hmmm”.

Use gestures and body language. Make full use of gestures and a little more than usual. Gestures help to convey meaning and emotion. While handshakes are avoided right now, a friendly, animated wave of the hand goes a long way towards sending a sense of goodwill. You could also say, “I’m not sure how you feel about this, but elbows seem to be the new handshake.”

Mirror your counterpart.  Mirroring is a non-verbal behavior that involves imitating the body language of a person or group of people with whom you are interacting.

Smile with your eyes. Research shows that when someone smiles while their eyes look angry, fearful, sad or neutral - they are perceived as not friendly. When wearing a mask, it’s even more important to “smile with your eyes” if you want to create positive feelings.

Look for empathic opportunities. When someone expresses an emotion, a challenge or progress than you have an empathic opportunity. View these as a prompt to respond using acknowledgment, praise, validation or support: all forms of responsive communication.

The effort we put into practicing these tips will pay off even after the pandemic when we can show our full face again