There’s an old saying that goes, „You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. Also, psychologists, writers, and seminar leaders caution that we only have from 7 to 17 seconds of interacting with strangers before they form an opinion of us. The first impression you make affects every subsequent visit. It’s difficult to undo a negative first impression. While it’s always possible to change someone’s mind about you, it’s much easier to establish a solid relationship right from the start. The research revealed that only 7% of our initial impact comes from our verbal message, that actual connect of what we say. Another 38% results from the impact of our vocal qualities – tone, rate, inflection. However, 55% comes from the visual component including our facial expressions, body language and attire.
Keys to Powerful First Impression.
There is technique for making a positive first impression:
Smile!
A real smile, one that reaches your eyes and shines through your face and body language, is one that will encourage people to smile back. It makes strangers more approachable, and gives a sense of comfort to those around you. Practice smiling so often that it becomes a habit.
Be on time.
Don’t be late. Ever. Figure out how long it takes to get to your meeting point and allow extra time. It’s better to arrive early than risk tardiness. For interviews and other important events, do a practice run in advance to clock the drive and make sure you know the route.
If you arrive more than 10 minutes ahead of planned, take a short walk before going inside. Arriving too early can rattle the person you’re meeting.
You’ll make impression when you demonstrate good listening skills.
Give positive verbal cues: “Hmmm….interesting!” “Tell me more, please.”
Use the name of a new acquaintance frequently.
Equally as important, you’ll make conversations more personal by including the listener’s name several times.
Be careful with humor.
Stay away from sarcastic remarks that could backfire. Because you don’t know a stranger’s sensitivities, prolonged joking might establish barriers you can’t overcome, either now or later.
Speaking style.
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