Make a Good First Impression
Advert
Make a Good First Impression
I would like to give you some tips on how to make a good first impression.
On meeting someone, do the following things:
- Look right into their eye; give direct eye contact.
- As you look into their eye; smile gently.
- Hold-out your hand; make an invitation to shake hands.
- As you shake hands, if you are strangers, give your first name and ask for theirs.
- Immediately use their name and ask them how they are: "Hi Sam, nice to meet you. How are you today?"
- Keep the conversation going by asking easy-to-answer questions.
- Listen more than you speak.
- Keep the conversation about current events and optimistic futures.
- Don't complain or condemn, nor criticise anyone.
- Keep an eye on the feedback results your actions are creating and make the necessary changes.
Let us elaborate a little on each point:
1. Look right into their eye; give direct eye contact.
The eyes are the window to the soul. So always look into their eyes and you will see who they are and how they are feeling.
2. As you look into their eye; smile gently.
A smile is the best way to show you are a friend. People like friendly people. SMILE and the world smiles with you.
3. Hold-out your hand; make an invitation to shake hands.
Not everyone likes to shake hands, but most people do. Give a brief, firm and dry handshake, and keep looking into their eyes and have a warm smile hovering on your lips.
4. As you shake hands, if you are strangers, give your first name and ask for theirs.
Volunteer your name first and they will usually give you their name.
If they don't, after you have given your name, ask for theirs in return.
"Hi. My name is Chris. And your name is......?
5. Immediately use their name and ask them how they are.
"Nice to meet you Sam. How's your day going?"
6. Keep the conversation going by asking easy-to-answer questions.
Ask questions that are easy to answer. This gives the person something to say, without feeling stressed. This allows the other person to relax in your presence and to get used to you. The more they feel relaxed in your presence the better it is for both of you.
7. Listen more than you speak.
Too many people talk too much. Don't be one of them. See if you can give the lion's share of the conversation to the other person.
8. Keep the conversation about current events and optimistic futures.
Be positive. too many people are too negative. Especially nowadays. You should strive to be a little more optimistic than the average.
9. Don't complain, condemn nor criticise anyone.
Don't complain about anything. If you come across as negative in the first few minutes, you will make a bad impression. Don't criticise anyone, nor complain about the weather, the traffic or the management. Don't tell them about your headache or feelings of exhaustion, nor any other medical conditions. If it is negative, don't say it.
10. Keep an eye on the feedback results your actions are creating and make the necessary adjustments.
After a few minutes, you will begin to get the measure of each other and you should begin to adjust your conversation according to the feedback you are getting. Keep the conversation on the things they are good at talking about.
Follow these tips and you will make a positive first impression.
Quiz: Do you make a good first impression?
First impressions really do count. If you are like most people, when you meet a new person, you make a quick judgement and decide quickly, if you like the look of them or not. And what is true for others, is true for you. Take our quiz to discover if you make a good first impression.
Communication Skills Training
Do you ever think to yourself, "I know what I mean, but I can't explain it"? You need to be able communicate facts, feelings, information and ideas, in a clear, professional and confident manner. If you want to learn more about our communication skills training, please click here.
Blogs by Email
Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!
Your Comments
Further Reading in Communication - Clear Communication
-
Communication skills - Accurate language
Communication skills - Accurate language Many people have trouble expressing themselves. They say: "I know what I mean but I can't explain it!" But you need to be able to express yourself with both clarity and accuracy. Here is a rule that will help you to get better results. Clarity is...
Read Article > -
How can I make my communications skills better?
How can I improve my communications skills? To a certain degree, your success is linked to your ability to communicate. If your communication skills are strong and you can easily express every idea and piece of information that you have, then you will be more convincing and persuasive. If you are...
Read Article > -
How to Communicate Effectively
How to Communicate Effectively In order to do well, you will need the cooperation of others. You will need to gain the cooperation of many people, including: Your partner Your bank Your customers Your suppliers Your colleagues at work Failure to gain their cooperation will mean either: They won't help you...
Read Article > -
Communication Styles
Communication Styles You could define "Good communication skills" as "the ability to accurately transfer information and emotion to /from the minds of others". And as a leader-manager, you need to be good at both, i.e. Explaining facts Explaining feelings A Thought Experiment: If you were to make a list of twenty...
Read Article > -
Communication Skills Training: Objective and Subjective Language
Objective and Subjective Language It is important to distinguish between two kinds of language: Objective language and subjective language. Every day you experience your "personal experience". You have to experience YOUR experience of an event. But isn't it true that YOUR experience of an event, may be very different to the...
Read Article >