The Secret to Making a Great First Impression. There’s an old saying you might be familiar with: “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” It’s true. There are no second chances to meet someone for the first time. Now here is something you should be aware of… In psychology, there is something called the Primacy Effect. This is the condition by which your first impression about someone (or something) causes you to interpret their future behaviour in a way that is consistent with your first impression. Say, for example, you’re at a party and spot someone who is clearly noisy and quite loud and your first impression of him is that he is dirty, lazy, and cheap. (First impressions are judgements. Like it or not, we judge each other all the time.)Your first impression of this man is like a pair of glasses” you put on which causes you to see everything he does as an outcropping of his dirty laziness. How Do Others See You? When you are out networking, others will continue to see you through the lens they formed when they first met you. For this reason, consciously making a good first impression is a real time-saver. It saves you from having to repair any negative impressions down the road. How others see you determines how they feel about you, and it’s this feeling that they remember when they think of you later.This feeling is all important when you are making your first impression.This feeling is your primary focus. When you affect someone’s feeling about you, you affect their judgement about you. WHAT TO DO FIRST Smile. Yes it takes practice for some, but it’s the best thing you can do when you meet someone for the first time. It’s surprising how often people don’t realize that they’re not smiling when they first meet someone. A smile is a non-verbal communication that conveys relaxed confidence, enthusiasm, happiness, and acceptance. A smile is a welcoming gesture that says, “I am happy to see you and welcome you into my space.” The person on the receiving end of your smile will feel welcomed. When you offer someone a genuinely warm smile, their mirror neurons will create an “inner smile” and a feeling of being accepted and welcome – offering a sense of belonging. This feeling within them helps steer the primacy effect. WHAT TO DO NEXT Because the other person’s feelings are your main focus, your next step is to be genuinely interested in and ask questions about what they love. Why? Because love is a good feeling. Ask questions like: Do you live with family? What do you love most about what your work? What do you enjoy doing most when you’re not working? Once they begin speaking about what they love, ask even more detailed questions about this subject in order to learn more. While you may not be personally interested in their hobby of building model sailboats, you can be curious about what it is about it that makes them love it so much. Your goal is to make them feel good. Here’s how: Care about the people you meet. Smile warmly. Ask questions about what they love. Listen intently to learn more about what they love and why. Do not speak to impress them. Speak only to ask questions and then listen. Gently smile as you listen. When they think of you later, your face will come to mind along with the feeling you left them with. If you follow the above steps, the feeling they recall will be one of being heard and cared for. Their judgement (first impression) of you is that you are a trustworthy person. Trust is the key element of all good relationships – business or personal – and your ultimate goal in networking. If they’re having a bad day, yes their bad mood can affect their impression of you but by helping them to focus upon something they love, you’ll also help improve their mood. If they are completely non-receptive to you, politely excuse yourself and go meet someone else. Rule of thumb: Always leave people feeling better than when you met them. NOTE: eave people a few minutes before they’re ready for you to go. They’ll want to see you again. Now go make some good impressions. © 2014 Trent Janisch – the power you are happy weekend......your comments!
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 07:07:15 +0000
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