How to communicate with a face mask: let everything else talk
To communicate with a face mask at work, shift the message from your mouth to everything else. Choose masks that suit the occasion, use your eyes, eyebrows and hands more deliberately, speak louder and slower with good breath support, and never complain about wearing one. A mask hides your smile, not your presence.
I first wrote this when COVID-19 brought masks into our offices, and my inbox was full of the same question: how do I express myself when half my face is covered? Masks still show up at work, in healthcare, labs, construction, flu season, so the lessons have outlived the moment.
Before we get to the tips, a few questions to ask yourself and your employer, because they shape what a mask can and cannot do for you.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Know your employer’s mask policy, and follow it no matter how you personally feel about masks.
- Your mask sits in the most prominent spot on your body, so its color, fabric and print send a loud signal.
- With your mouth covered, your eyes, eyebrows, hands and posture have to carry more of the message.
- Speak up, slow down and breathe well, because only a voice supported by breath sounds like authority.
- Complaining about the mask makes you look like a victim, and people do not follow victims.
What should you clarify before you wear a face mask at work?
Will your employer provide masks, or can you choose your own? Do they expect a specific type? Do you wear one all day, or only when meeting others? What if colleagues refuse to wear one? And your clients: are they required to wear masks too, and how should you react if they do not?
Find out your company’s mask policy in detail. And follow it, no matter how you personally feel about it. If a mask helps keep your colleagues, your community and people everywhere healthy, safe and at ease, it is a small sacrifice at work.
Why is it harder to communicate with a face mask?
Covering a large part of your face changes how you present yourself and the verbal and nonverbal messages you send. Researchers have studied it. A German scientist showed participants faces expressing anger, fear, happiness, sadness, disgust or nothing at all. With masks, reading those emotions suffered badly, in two ways:
- Some emotions were read completely wrong. Anger, for example, was often mistaken for disgust.
- Other emotions were labeled “neutral,” although the faces behind the masks expressed joy or sadness.
We rely heavily on the mouth area, so cover it and misunderstandings are pre-programmed. Luckily, our mouth is not our only messenger. Hand gestures, posture, tone and volume of voice, the movement of eyes and eyebrows, even changes in skin color all send signals too. Here is how to make an impression even when your smile is hidden.
4 tips to communicate effectively with a face mask
1. Make smart face mask choices
If you can choose, that is. When your employer picks the masks, you do not have that luxury. When you do, think about which mask you wear, and have options. Keep several in your car, at your desk, in your bag. You will never be caught without one, and you will have the right mask for each occasion.
Colors, fabrics, patterns and style all become part of your first impression, and because the mask sits in such a prominent spot, the signal is loud. A mask with a fun slogan, a cartoon or a giant printed smile may look lighthearted and approachable. It is not your best choice when you negotiate your company’s next big deal or hold a serious one-on-one with a team member. For those moments, choose something neutral in color, comfortable and breathable, that will not make you sweat or breathe heavily while you talk or present.
If being approachable and fun is a big part of your role and style, consider a pin or button with a photo of your smiling face, so people can see the whole you. It helps them picture your expressions and makes you feel more human. The idea started in healthcare, where doctors and nurses treating COVID patients had most of their faces covered. It eased patients’ minds and helped them connect with their caregivers. Maybe it works in your office too.
Also keep in mind that more than 5% of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, reading lips and facial expressions is a crucial part of communication, and masks put them at a complete disadvantage. If someone in your workplace is hearing impaired, acknowledge it, be respectful, and keep a clear, see-through mask in your repertoire. It may even be your general solution: if you worry about losing your facial expressions, a clear mask is the easiest way around it.
2. Exaggerate your facial expressions and body language
The mouth and lips are where many expressions start, and with them covered, it can feel impossible to get your emotions across. But your eyes, forehead, eyebrows, posture and head position say a lot too. If your mouth is out of the game, lean on everything else.
Start with eye contact. Holding it a little longer helps you convey emotion and feel understood, even through a mask. Careful, though, this is not one-size-fits-all. Norms for eye contact and emotional expression differ between the United States and other parts of the world, for example in Asia. Some very traditional religious groups consider long eye contact between men and women inappropriate, threatening or flirtatious. So keep in mind, as best you can, who you are talking to.
Engage your eyebrows more often and more strongly. They can show aggression and fear, surprise and happiness. Still, eyebrows alone will not carry the message. It is always a combination of signals, so add bigger, clearer hand gestures to underline your points.
And needless to say, if you add sunglasses at an outdoor meeting, you take away any chance for people to read you accurately.
3. Increase your volume and slow down
Yes, it is harder to understand someone wearing a mask. Every voice sounds diminished, muted and muffled. Our instinct is to speak louder, which is good and necessary, and also tricky: done wrong, it affects your breathing, which is already harder under a mask. Correct breathing is crucial for a clear voice. Only a voice that is well supported by breath sounds like authority.
Many of us talk fast. With a mask, that is a luxury we do not have. Speak up, and slow down. Talking through a mask takes more concentration, and it forces us to pause more often. Let those pauses work for you.
None of this happens overnight, but practice builds consistency. Wear your mask at home for short periods to get used to it and still feel like yourself. Practice talking in it, record yourself on your phone and listen to how your voice comes through a layer of fabric.
People do not perceive you as a leader if you behave like a victim.
4. Don’t complain about wearing a face mask
Please, just don’t. We all need to vent sometimes, about feelings, challenges and struggles. That is fine with your small, trusted circle of family and friends. At work, venting slides easily into constant complaining or gossip, and that is a slippery slope.
Yes, wearing a mask all day takes getting used to. But people do not see a leader in someone who behaves like a victim. And the mask is not “only” bad. By wearing one, you show that you lead by example, that you care, that you respect others, and that you protect your own health and the health of your family, colleagues, clients and strangers all over the world, even when science does not have every answer yet.
Remember, too, that face coverings are nothing new for many people. Healthcare professionals, lab assistants and construction workers have worn masks at work for years. In many parts of the world, millions of women wear veils or full-body coverings every day. It may not be part of your industry, profession, culture or faith. But if people all over the world can do it, so can we.
What does a face mask say about you in a first impression?
If you are interviewing, hoping for a promotion or simply working on the first impression you make, the mask says a lot about you. People who wear one are often assumed to care: to be empathetic, to value other people’s health and to take their own seriously. And in the end, leaders want to see exactly that in their people. That they care.
For more on greeting people without touching, read what to use instead of a handshake at work. And to understand the bigger picture, here is how important first impressions really are.
Frequently asked questions
How do you show emotion when wearing a face mask?
Let your eyes and eyebrows do more of the work: hold eye contact a little longer and use your eyebrows more expressively. Add clearer hand gestures, an open posture and a warm tone of voice. A genuine smile also lifts your cheeks and crinkles the skin around your eyes, which people can see above a mask.
How can I be understood better when speaking through a mask?
Speak a little louder, but support your voice with good breathing rather than straining. Slow down and pause more often so people can follow. Practice at home by recording yourself through the mask, and consider a clear mask when talking with someone who relies on lip reading.
What kind of face mask is best for a professional setting?
For serious meetings, choose a neutral-colored, comfortable and breathable mask without slogans or prints. Keep fun or patterned masks for casual moments. Always follow your employer’s policy, and keep a few spare masks at your desk, in your bag and in your car so you are never caught without one.
Does wearing a mask affect first impressions at work?
Yes. It hides part of your facial expression, so people may misread your emotions, and the mask itself becomes a visible signal through its color and style. On the positive side, wearing one when expected tends to signal that you care about others, respect the rules and take health seriously.
