TORONTO -- While a face mask covers one’s smile, one expert says Canadians are still able to express themselves and show emotion to one another through their body language and facial expressions despite having their mouth covered.

Image consultant and life coach Michele Charles Gustafson told CTV's Your Morning on Monday that facial gestures can still be noticed through the eyes, eyebrows and head movements when wearing a face mask.

"Ninety three per cent of how we communicate ourselves is non-verbal, and that means we haven't said anything yet. So that includes our facial gestures that needs to come through -- our eyes, eyebrows, head tilts, nods," Charles Gustafson explained in an interview from Lloydminster, Alta.

"These gestures allow us to learn about other people, and to connect with other people and that connection is so important."

Charles Gustafson noted that mask wearing is the "new normal" and will likely stick around for a while, which is why she says Canadians need to pay closer attention to their peer’s facial expressions and body language during conversations.

She added that most people didn’t realize how important body language was until masks became commonplace.

"You will be well versed to learn it now because it was always important, it will be more important later, and you'll actually be able to communicate more authenticity, more connection, more trust, if you learn to do it now," Charles Gustafson said.

Charles Gustafson says one of the most important features to pay attention to is someone's eyes.

"The eyes are the windows to the soul. They are the things that communicate the most when it comes to friendliness and openness and helpfulness, and you can actually smile with your eyes. You can use those windows to soften, to pass something that feels like a smile, even if your mouth is covered," she said.

Charles Gustafson explained that when someone smiles with their mouth, their eyes also portray that same messaging, highlighting the importance of eye contact when wearing a mask.

She added that the eyes and eyebrows can even express one’s feelings better in certain situations than the mouth.

"Smiling with your eyes, softening your eyes to show compassion, head tilts to show understanding, even hand gestures when you need to; all of these are the things that build trust, connection and rapport faster than others," Charles Gustafson said.

For those who are uncomfortable with direct eye contact, Charles Gustafson suggests looking at the eyebrows instead.

"It's exactly the same for the receiver but adds the connection," she said.

For those who want to get better at communicating their emotions while wearing a face mask, Charles Gustafson says practice is key.

"Check in the mirror and see what your face does. What does your face do resting? What does your face do smiling?" she said. "You got to know what your face does when you want to communicate something so spend two minutes… and behind the mask it's going to make a difference."