We should all try to be a better actor when we are in public indoor spaces.

The thing with wearing masks is it makes it really hard to see the expression on people’s faces. You can’t tell how they are reacting to what is being said.

Take it from me. For the last several months I’ve been preaching to people wearing face masks. That was an upgrade because, for several months before that, I preached to a room without any people in the seats. … Actually, I had three other people present who were working the sound board and camera and streaming software.

The thing about preaching to people wearing masks is that you can’t tell how engaged they are with what you are saying. Even speaking one on one with people, it is not easy to tell what’s going on behind the mask. 

I was in a grocery store on vacation this summer, in line to pay for my items. The woman ahead of me, who was just about finished her purchase, was trying to flag down her husband at the back of the store.

She waved to him but he didn’t see her.

So I yelled out, “Hey, dude!”, and waved to him to look our way. 

He didn’t notice me either, so I just looked back at the woman. She looked back at me. I had no idea what she was thinking.

After a brief pause, she said, “I’m laughing behind this mask.”

… I can’t help but think of teachers going back to school. Sure, they will have smaller classrooms which will make it easier to an extent. But if the kids are wearing masks, good luck on knowing if those kids are making faces or turning up their noses at something the teacher said. 

The other day I saw a woman wearing a clear plastic mask with a mini shield attached. At least you could see her face though, to be honest, the shield looked a little funny.

Masks block our facial expressions and they say that facial expression and body language makes up about 55% of communication. 

That’s why we need to be good actors when we wear our masks. A good actor accentuates their expressions – especially stage actors. They need to make sure the people sitting in the back row can see their expression and their body language. 

The other day I was talking with someone after church and he said something that I thought was amusing. 

I would normally have just smiled and nodded. But not with my mask on. I chuckled out loud, my head bobbed up and down, my shoulders even shimmied a bit. 

He go the idea that I was amused by what he said. 

It takes a lot more work to communicate this way, but this is what we need to do. We need to overreact just so the person who’s communicating with us knows we are reacting at least a little to what’s being said. 

So everyone get out there and be a better actor … for the sake of the person you are talking to.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes we might think that if we are kind, caring and generous to the people around us, they will know that it is because we have experienced Christ’s love and are now living out that love. But the truth is that many people who don’t know Christ will not get that connection. It’s like we are communicating with masks on. At some point we need to actually tell them about Christ’s love.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you found communicating while wearing a mask? Leave your comments and question below.

Subscribe to my blog to receive these posts twice weekly, delivered directly to your email inbox.