The sad truth is often, you may never get a second chance to create a first impression and that’s why it’s so important as a new potential employer, a new client or a love interest, you do your outmost best to create a good first impression.
The Love Shadow believes that first impression techniques are transferable from one situation to the other and there are key ones that you can adopt each time that will leave an extremely good experience for whoever encounters you.
A very common quote from Maya Angelou says, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Now there’s a reason why this statement is so true.
Experiences are truly the things people remember, and that’s why large companies today will pay millions of dollars to ensure that their customers have a great experience with their product or service.
Often times, we form a not so accurate opinion about many of people’s personalities or their qualities when we first meet them.
Some of the qualities we try to gauge include a person’s friendliness, honesty, trustworthiness, and competence.
Thus, a first impression becomes a filter that we use for all future interactions with that person. It can be very difficult to change someone’s first impression of us, you see, and that’s why it’s so important.
What first impression techniques can you implement to win anyone over?
#1. Make eye contact.
Eye contact is a nonverbal form of communication and it is widely considered as a show of honesty and as a way of showing respect to the person that you’re talking to. Maintaining eye contact also shows that you’re paying attention to the other person and listening to what they’re saying. Try to make eye contact before you start talking and maintain regular eye contact during your conversation.
You do however need to know the difference between eye contact and staring someone down.
Now the Love Shadow would recommend a 60/40 mix; this involves giving off only 60% eye contact, so as to maintain the ideal goal of paying attention without aggression or coming across as creepy.
#2. Smile Now.
Since you’re smile puts people at ease and makes people feel welcome. A genuine smile reaches your eyes, creates an impression of trust and sincerity.
Now if your smile is rich, your eyes will be seen even if you’re wearing a mask.
If you feel a tightening of the muscles around your eyes, you know that your smile shows in your eyes.
#3. Dress for the occasion.
Now, what you wear greatly contributes to your first impression. You’re affected by your appearance, whether or not you realize it, and whether or not you think appearance is even important.
In short, what you wear has consequences. Now think back to a time when an extremely filthy unkempt person stood right next to you. How did you feel? Uneasy? Apprehensive?
What you wear matters greatly, so make sure that your clothing is appropriate for the situation or occasion.
Dressing like you just rolled out of bed on your first date could create an impression that you aren’t serious about that relationship
#4. Be authentic.
People can be remarkably quick to pick on insincerity, so it pays to be yourself. Constant worry about whether you’re saying or doing the right thing often comes off as insincere as well as being not authentic.
Being authentic means knowing your strengths and weaknesses and communicating it in an effective way.
#5. Be a good communicator.
A good communicator listens more than they talk. A good guideline for this is to talk only one-third of as much as you listen.
Listening more shows that you’re being attentive and lets other people feel like they’re being heard. If you communicate clearly and listen well, people will enjoy their interactions with you.
#6. Use positive body language.
Body language is a large part of communication. Some basic guidelines for positive body language include standing or sitting up straight while holding your head up.
This will present your as comfortable and confident. Also, avoid crossing your arms or your legs as this subconsciously closes you off from the other person.
Always remember to offer a hand for a good firm handshake that is confident and not crushing
#7. Be empathetic.
So pay attention to the emotional well-being of the person that you’re talking to. Empathizing with someone can contribute to a strong connection. It demonstrates that you understand them emotionally and wanna be there to help and assist
#8. Do your research and come prepared.
Doing some basic research can help you understand the context of the environment that you will be in.
It can help you dress appropriately and guide you to the formality of language that will be suitable. You may also discover information about other people that you can use to start a conversation with them. Preparing beforehand will make you feel more at ease and will also show you that you’re interested and focused.
#9. Act confidently.
Acting confident, even if you don’t feel brave, will create an impression of confidence. This appearance of self assurance will contribute to a better first impression.
#10. Be on time.
There’s nothing like showing up late to your first-day job interview or business meeting. It’s straight away sends a negative signal that you are not serious and you don’t respect the person that you’re meeting.
It’s advisable that you put it at the back of your mind that you are only on time when you’re 5 minutes early and not on the dot.
Remember, overcoming a bad first impression can sometimes seem like an almost impossible task even though it isn’t.
It just takes a little bit of consistent effort and time.
Finally, don’t hesistate to accept there will often be bad first impressions. therefore, identify where you went wrong, and seek out future opportunities to right your wrongs. If you aren’t given another opportunity, simply cut your losses and learn from that experience that happened so you do not repeat past mistakes and mess up future opportunities.