3d • General discussion
Making a great first impression.
Making a great first impression is one of those tricky lessons that appear, and reappear throughout our whole life. Whether it be asking someone out on a first date, delivering a keynote or meeting the boss with a view to promotion, first impressions are vitally important. You also only get one shot at it!
Forget the old philosophy- “you have 10 minutes to make a first impression.” With the increasing pace of life and the ease of accessibility to everything and everybody, you now have just 7 seconds to make yourself memorable.
Seven seconds is the time it takes to cement your relationship or forever be forgotten. Daunting isn’t it!
Luckily, there are manageable ways to ensure you leave a great impression- every time! My online course, ‘How to Make a Great First Impression’ will walk you through each step, explaining the methodology and illustrating the skills in a simple to replicate manner.
This course offers you the opportunity to:-
● Appear more confident in public and in meetings
● Be more aware of your own body language and how it makes you appear to others
● Learn how to introduce yourself with a few carefully chosen words
● Be comfortable holding eye contact with people you deem to be superior to yourself
The First 3 Steps
Step 1- Eye Contact: Holding eye contact for some people is on a par with riding a penny farthing down the cobbled streets of Stratford- painful! It is however, the first step in making that great first impression. If you meet someone who seems incapable of looking you in the eye whilst talking, it is unfortunately in our nature to deem that person untrustworthy. At the very least we may feel uncomfortable with that person. It’s also important to remember not to stare for too long- as that can have an equally unsettling effect.
Step 2- Smile: Holding eye contact with a dour look on your face can make someone feel very awkward indeed. Turning that frown upside down will bring instant rapport between two people. The effect a smile can have on a person is metamorphic, instantly calming a situation, bringing a warm, friendly atmosphere into any situation. Smiles are also infectious, so make eye contact and smile at the person you wish to impress. It will be very hard for the recipient not to smile back!
Step 3- Handshake: We will look at handshakes in more depth in a later post but it’s important to note that although a handshake is still the introduction opener in much of the Western World, it isn’t protocol for many other cultures. With handshakes, the number one ‘No No’ is the strength of the grip- not too weak, not too strong. It’s also important to remember to maintain steps 1 & 2 whilst effecting the handshake.
Making a great first impression takes practise and the insight to realise that it’s more than just saying the right thing. It’s as much about reading the other person as it is about exposing your own personality. Body language plays a large part in first impressions but it’s important to remember that just because someone doesn’t hold eye contact with you for a full 5 seconds, it doesn’t mean they are ingenuine and shouldn’t be at all trusted.
To find out how to get the support and accountability you need to grow your speaking and coaching business, drop me a message and ask about the benefits of my peer mastermind group.
David Hyner
Professional Speaker | Author | Goal Setting Researcher
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Making a great first impression.
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