A fascinating controversy has arisen in Britain - which says a lot about how humans communicate.
It started with a Muslim woman being told by a judge that she had to remove her face veil so the jury could be better placed to assess her innocence or guilt.
The woman is due to stand trial for allegedly intimidating a witness.
She has refused to remove her niqab and reveal her face in front of any man in court.
Judge Peter Murphy at Blackfriars Crown Court in London has said that he will offer the woman - who can't be named for legal reasons - a screen to shield her from public view while giving evidence.
However he says she has to be seen by the jury, the lawyers and himself so they can make proper judgements while she is giving evidence.
Debates over the face veil normally come down to a person's right to dress how they choose, versus whether covering women's faces for religious reasons diminishes their status in the eyes of others and themselves.
But in this case the key issue is whether humans can interpret someone with total effectiveness without seeing the face behind the words.
The issue has now cascaded into whether there should be a ban on face veils imposed on Muslim women working in the National Health Service.
The British Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt (pictured), says "Certainly if I was a patient myself, I'd want to be able to see the face of the doctor or nurse who was treating me."
The stories underline just how important facial expressions are in the communication process.
When we meet someone new we can make amazingly quick conclusions about them - and much of this is determined by their facial expression.
Your initial judgement can be made in as little as three seconds.
If you're looking at a recovering Australian journalist-turned-professional speaker, it could take even less time!
So getting your look right - and working at getting it right - really matters.
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NOW ON YOUTUBE: THE CONFERENCE KEYNOTE TO BOOST YOUR TEAM
The importance of getting your facial expressions in harmony with your message is one of the things covered in a new YouTube video I've made with my colleague in the Professional Speaking Association, Nicci Roscoe. Nicci (pictured below) speaks and writes on making a fabulous impact in your business and your life - and getting the look right can be a vital part of that.  In the video we demonstrate good and bad communications practice in front of audiences - and ask those watching to identify factors which make the difference between the two. The sessions run under the banner of "Making Your Team Look, Sound and Feel Great". They can be booked as conference keynotes for large audiences, or as master classes for away days and training programmes. This YouTube video focuses primarily on media interviews at three separate events - because this was what our particular audiences were primarily interested in. We can adapt the focus to whatever your audience most requires. For example we can demonstrate excellent - and appalling - practice and give guidance on: # Making Powerful Business Introductions # Doing Career-Enhancing Interviews # Giving Great Answers To Tough Questions - From Your Business Prospects # Boosting Confidence and Positive Focus You can check out the video here:
Click for further information about booking "Making Your Team Look, Sound and Feel Great" at your event.
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DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR TEAM
Demonstrating good and bad communications practice in front of your people gets them thinking more deeply about how they come across to others.
In doing this, "Making Your Team Look, Sound and Feel Great" can prevent problems before they get a chance to start.
We've just had the most stunning example of what can go wrong in a team courtesy of the United Kingdom Independence Party.
The anti-European Union party has been surging in the polls.
But their annual party conference has just been destroyed - in the words of its leader, Nigel Farage (pictured) - because of some ill-thought out remarks and actions by a member of his team.
The miscreant who has overshadowed the party's conference is Godfrey Bloom - who, in an odd situation, is a Member of the European Parliament representing his party in an institution which he and his colleagues don't believe their country should be associated with.
Mr Bloom described the female representatives at the conference as "sluts".
You might agree this isn't the smartest or most reasonable thing to do - even if UKIP women don't clean behind fridges which is what Mr Bloom thinks they should be doing.
Godfrey Bloom then further aggravated the situation with a TV performance which, among other sins, involved hitting a reporter over the head with a document.
This was not particularly painful for the reporter - but agonising indeed for the party's supporters.
Take a big breath and something soothing before seeing it all unfold:
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HOW NOT TO BE THE NEXT GODFREY
If Godfrey Bloom provokes you to think about boosting the communication skills of you and your colleagues, here are some of the ways how Michael Dodd Communications can help:
# "Become An Inspirational CEO In 12 Hours" - Material on the new premium package for business leaders and those aspiring to be is at:
# "Protecting And Enhancing Your On-Line Reputation" - Ensuring the right things and the classiest possible material comes up about you when your name is googled:
# "Presenting With Confidence, Impact and Pizzazz" - Including how to wow audiences with the right kind of slides:
Hopefully you're in the happy position that there are no potential Godfrey Blooms in your team.
But if there are, they can be sorted.
You don't have to put a face veil on them...though sometimes this might help.
Keep smiling
Michael
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