Killer First Impressions
No one cares about first impressions…said no one ever. Most people take a quick 7 seconds to form a judgment on a new connection. If we’re talking visuals, most of us don’t even give people a full 2 seconds before we’ve judged someone’s appearance. Studies say we decide who a person is based on appearance in 1.5 seconds. With that in mind, here are a few ways to make your first impression a positive and memorable one.
#1 – Relax.
Horror of horrors, you guys. Stress is actually contagious, according to a study reported by Psychology Today. This means that if you’re frantic or worried, you may leave those awful feelings with your new contact. You would hate to be associated with that negativity. Before you go into your meeting, take a few moments to calm yourself. Entrepreneur.com recommends the following exercise to de-stress. Begin by closing your eyes. First notice which parts of your body are tense. For 30 seconds, breathe in slowly to the count of five, and then exhale slowly to the count of five. Repeat this three times. Now, yawn a few times and notice if it relaxes you. Now stretch your body, beginning with the muscles of your face, scrunching them up, then stretching them out. Then gently move your head from side to side and front to back. Scrunch your shoulders up and then push them down. Next tighten your arms and legs for a count of 10; then relax and shake it out. Take a few more deep breaths. Once more assign a number to your state of relaxation.
#2 – Fix Your Posture
The connection between mind and body is fascinating. Not only do you look more confident when you adopt better posture, but your brain will read it as actual confidence. By altering your posture, your mind automatically adopts a new tone. Before walking into a meeting, open up your arms and chest and straighten your back. Your mind will follow suit and you’ll notice a more relaxed, confident feeling.
#3 – PositivITY IS KEY
If you’re troubled from sitting through traffic, an argument you had with your spouse earlier in the day, or anything else, pause for a moment before you head into your meeting. Write down what’s bothering you and remind yourself of two or three positive things that are happening. Don’t let your problems come with you into the meetings.
#4 – Smile and Make Eye Contact
I don’t mean just any smile either, but a genuine one. Most people can tell the difference between a “fake” smile, and what scientists call the “Duchenne Smile“, which affects your whole face. In fact, both of these smiles are created in different parts of the brain – one being a controlled muscle movement, and one being an almost involuntary expression of happiness. So forget about your worries, and let yourself be genuinely pleased with your new connection.
#5 – Treat It Like An Interview
People love talking about themselves. Treat your meeting like an interview and learn as much about your new client as you can. Most of us give verbal cues about what we want to talk about, so pay attention to clues within your client’s answers on what to ask them about next.
#6 – Stay Calm
A calm attitude and slow, deliberate movements will earn trust. You’ll appear as an authority and a leader in your field. Even better, most of us associate that calmness with intelligence and success.
These tips are strong as stand-alone ideas, but will help you gain trust, assert authority, and show your confidence in a great way during that all-too-important first impression.