The Key to Reading Micro Expressions

Reading people is a prized leadership skill and critical for leadership success.

Great leaders adapt the style of their messages and approaches based on the audience and situation. They are better able to craft the right message when they accurately assess what others are thinking and feeling.

That’s where micro expressions come in.

The face is the best indicator of emotion, and facial expressions tell the story. Micro expressions are the brief, involuntary facial expressions, lasting a fraction of a second, that reveal a person’s true emotions even when they’re trying to conceal them.

Being attuned to micro expressions is at the heart of reading people. While there are other important signs that reveal what others are thinking and feeling, such as language choice and gestures, micro expressions are a direct lens into the emotions people experience as they engage with others.

Research confirms that the emotions revealed by micro expressions are universal across cultures. People make the same face for sadness in the U.S., Singapore, New Guinea, or anywhere else in the world.

Fifteen emotions are commonly reflected in the same micro expressions across the globe: disgust, anger, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, contempt, embarrassment, amusement, anxiety, guilt, pride, relief, pleasure, and shame.

Becoming skillful at reading people through their micro expressions is of tremendous value to leaders as they engage others in everyday communication, especially when the messages they send are critical to performance or relational satisfaction.

Although micro expressions are subtle and fleeting (most last less than ½ a second), any leader can improve their skill at reading them with the right practice.

The key is to see yourself using the same expressions.

To better read micro expressions, practice by using them in a mirror. Attempt to display an emotion like contempt on purpose and examine closely what expression you use when projecting it.

Do this with all 15 universal emotions with a keen eye for the smallest differences in your face. The more you practice and ask others to practice with you, the better you will get at detecting those expressions when others use them.

But be careful. Research proves that when you express an emotion with a facial expression, you may begin feeling that emotion. Emotions not only cause facial expressions, but facial expressions also cause emotions.

Express happy, and you will feel happy. That’s another great reason to practice micro expressions.