Making first impressions count
When meeting a new business contact for the first time we make our assessments about them very quickly. Many researchers have found they decide whether we like the new person within the first seven seconds.
First impressions are influenced heavily by non-verbal cues. What we do is more important than what we say.
Here's seven powerful, but easy to remember ways to make sure that your next first impression is a positive and lasting.
#1: Chose your attitude. People will pick up your attitude very quickly. Before you greet someone, or walk into an office for a business meeting, or stand to make a presentation, think about who you are with (your target audience) and make a conscious decision about the attitude you want to personify. Attitudes that are attracting include friendly, happy, receptive, patient, approachable, welcoming, helpful and curious. Attitudes that are off-putting include angry, impatient, bored, arrogant, afraid, disheartened, and suspicious.
#2: Smile. Smiles are cross-cultural and international. When you smile at someone you are saying "Welcome" and signifying you are friendly and approachable.
#3: Make eye contact. Looking at someone's eyes shows energy, interest and openness. Two great tips to improve eye contact are to make sure note the eye colour of everyone you meet and, if you think you are eye-gazing too much, try looking at the tip of their nose ... it's better than gazing off into space and the other person will still perceive it as eye contact.
#4: Raise your eyebrows. Open your eyes slightly more than normal to simulate the "eyebrow flash" that is the universal signal of recognition and acknowledgement. This is very powerful when combined with a smile.
#5: Increase your stature. When people are confident their shoulders are back and heads high. Even if you are not confident, you can emulate the posture.
#6: Shake hands. Amazingly, research has shown it takes an average of three hours of continuous interaction to develop the same level of rapport that you can get with a single handshake. There is a whole science of handshaking. In Australia, election campaigns have turned on an overly aggressive handshake. ( See it at 1 min 50 sec on this video) Just make sure you have palm-to-palm contact. This is the quickest way to establish rapport. It's also the most effective.
#7: Lean in slightly. Leaning in when seated or standing shows you're engaged and interested. But watch you don't invade the other person's space. In most business situations this means, keeping a distance of about half a metre.
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