Making a Positive Impression
Making a Positive Impression
Sometimes, one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent
– Dalai Lama
Introduction
While some people are easily noticeable, others seem to blend into the scenery. However, if you want to get the most out of your personal interactions with other people, you need to be able to make a lasting, favourable impression on the individuals you come into contact with. The first impressions that people have of you are what determine whether or not they want to continue getting to know you better. Therefore, you should take steps to ensure that you leave an impression on other people.
Strong and Lasting Impression
There is a proverb that goes, “You never get a second chance to create a first impression,” and you’ve probably heard it before.
In the fast-paced world of today, it is essential to make the most of the time and chances you have with the individuals you come in contact with. If, for example, you have been successful in securing a conference with a client or a possible partner, you should make certain that you do not leave anything up to chance in preparation for that encounter. And this is in keeping with the impression that you want to make on people.
The following are some pointers that will help you make an impressive first impression:
Make sure you look your best. Although true beauty comes from within, this does not negate the fact that others will judge you based on how you present yourself to them. If you want to make a fantastic first impression, you should always strive to appear your absolute best. When you are introducing yourself to other people, you should always be neat, well groomed, and dressed in clothes that are comfortable and that adhere to the appropriate standards for the appropriate level of formality.
Be positive. Nobody like conversing with pessimists, grouchy folks, or those who are easily irritated, instead, individuals are drawn to those who smile frequently and exude a good demeanour because they are more approachable. Make sure they know they are valued and welcome if you want to be remembered by them. Remembering a pleasant experience is just as easy as remembering an unpleasant one.
Communicate your confidence. The ability to convey that you are self-assured, competent, and goal-oriented is key to making a strong first impression. Maintain constant eye contact with the persons you are speaking with at all times. Raise and firmly shake both hands. Talk in a manner that is thoughtful and purposeful.
Be true to yourself! It is normal to feel a great deal of worry when meeting new individuals for the first time, but you should try your best to maintain a casual demeanour. People are more likely to respond positively to those who don’t give off the impression that they are controlling the situation or putting on a front. Allow the other person to get interested in you because of your characteristics.
Try your best to go above and beyond. To differentiate yourself from the other candidates, go above and beyond what is expected of you. For instance, if you are going in for a job interview, demonstrate that you have done a lot of research on the firm and that you are familiar with its goals and objectives. People have a better chance of having a favourable impression of you if they perceive that you enjoy participating in a certain social activity.
Brief check
Beauty is within; this does not mean that others do not draw inferences about you based on your physical appearance. If you want to make an excellent first impression, you must look your best.
Assessing the current state of affairs
A sensitivity to what is going on around you, particularly what is going on with the people you are engaging with, is a necessary component of all forms of interpersonal competence. Because of this, the meaning of a communication might shift depending on factors such as the timing and place of the exchange. Not only do you want to ensure that you are saying the appropriate thing, but you also want to ensure that you are saying the appropriate thing at the appropriate time.
You have to take the circumstances into account if you want your actions to have an effect. The following is a list of some advice that can be used when analysing the situation:
Listen attentively, not only to the things that are being said but also to the things that are not being stated. A strong ability to observe people and situations is a good interpersonal skill to master. In order to respond in a manner that is appropriate to the situation, you need to be able to accurately read the body language of the individuals around you. For instance, there is body language that conveys the message “go on, what you’re saying is interesting.” In addition, there is body language that conveys the message “I do not want to hear that at this time.”
Identify needs. Asking yourself “what does this social occasion need right now?” is a second method for evaluating the circumstance that you might use. In a recently formed group, for instance, there is a good chance that some of the members do not yet know one another. Therefore, there is a requirement for someone to assist in breaking the ice. It is likely that a group that has been working hard for a long period of time requires an opportunity to wind down and relax. If you are aware of these demands, you will be able to respond to them in a more appropriate manner.
Practice etiquette. Some individuals may view etiquette as nothing more than a meaningless collection of rules, yet these guidelines actually serve a purpose by informing you of what is commonly thought to be acceptable and undesirable behaviour in a certain circumstance. When this occurs, it is helpful to grasp the fundamental rules of etiquette so that you do not commit a faux pas, which has the potential to destroy the positive first impression that you have created.
Exhibit enthusiasm without coming across as unpleasant. If you are in the business of developing social networks, having enthusiasm, dedication, and tenacity are all excellent qualities to possess. However, you must use extreme caution to ensure that your persistent efforts do not transcend the line into annoying the person, or even worse, harassing them.
In order to be zealous without coming across as offensive, consider the following suggestions:
Put your attention on the things that are significant to the other person. Being “other-cantered” is the most effective technique to keep tabs on how keen you are to engage in conversation with other individuals. Make it a habit to question yourself if the action you are about to take will answer the need of the other person or whether it will only address your own need before you take any action.
Pay attention to the limits. Everyone has their own set of personal boundaries, and it would be wise for us to honour those boundaries. One example of a boundary is requiring clients to make an appointment before meeting with them. The same principle applies to not taking calls over the weekend or beyond normal business hours in the office. Stay within these parameters, and you’ll be able to show that you appreciate others’ time and effort. And if you don’t know a person’s boundaries, you have nothing to lose by asking them what they are!
Make requests, not demands. As was stated earlier, we may always try our hardest to persuade and influence other people, but we can’t compel them to do anything they don’t want to do. Despite this, we should always give it our best effort. Therefore, it is important to politely request permission and confirm consent at all times. And if they say no, you should take that as an answer and move on unless you have anything significantly different to offer.
Note non-verbal behaviours. Always let yourself be directed by the other person’s non-verbal response to you, as was suggested in the preceding section of this article. If you see that they are already showing signs of displeasure toward you — for instance, they speak to you in a harsh and irritated tone when chatting to you — then it is probably time to back off a little bit. If, on the other hand, they seem interested in what you have to say and continue to stare at you with curiosity while you are speaking, it is best to proceed.
Brief check
Some individuals may view etiquette as a worthless collection of rules, but they serve a purpose: they indicate what is commonly deemed acceptable and undesirable in specific contexts. Therefore, it is helpful to be aware of fundamental etiquette guidelines so that you do not commit a faux pas that could damage the positive first impression you produced.
The art of managing one's impression in interpersonal relationships
A significant portion of the effort put into managing one’s impression in interpersonal relationships is concentrated on preserving one’s face. “Face” is “a metaphor for our public self-image, the way we want others to see us and treat us,” according to psychologist Carl Jung.
Particular verbal and nonverbal cues that serve to maintain and recover face loss, and to uphold and honour face gain, is what we mean when we talk about face work. One of the most important takeaways from this line of inquiry is that different societies place different levels of value on the appearance of the face. According to studies, even though many people in the West have the impression that this concept is largely a worry of Asian cultures, it actually is a concern for all civilizations. Concern for one’s own face and concern for the face of the person with whom one is interacting, both of which are essential components of any successful interpersonal exchange, are essential components of any successful interpersonal exchange. These two issues give rise to four potential courses of action for face work.
Mutual-Face Protection – In this circumstance, you will try to protect your face while also providing assistance to the other person in the contact so that they can protect their face. This is because your worry for your own face as well as your concern for the other person’s face is strong. To put it another way, you want to look well, and you also want your partner to look good.
Self-Face Defence – Your primary objective in this circumstance should be to maintain your dignity. Your lack of worry for the other person explains why your level of self-face concern is so high while your level of other-face concern is so low. When it comes to this, you could care less about how your partner seems as long as you present well.
Other-Face Upgrade – this is a situation in which you will work to help the other individual pre-serve face or gain face because your concern for self-face is low and your concern for other face is high. You will do this because your concern for self-face is low and your concern for other face is high. Under this stipulation, you consent to having a poor appearance for the sake of making your lover appear more attractive.
Mutual-Face Obliteration – In this context, you have a low concern for your own face as well as a low concern for the face of the other person; as a result, you are not attempting to maintain face for either person participating in the conversation. In this scenario, you do not mind whether either of the two people involved in the interaction come off looking awful.
Public speaking skills that are effective for gaining influence in organizations
There are several components that go into making a public speech successful. The following is a collection of suggestions aimed to help you improve your public speaking skills. These advices come from the most popular university-level public speaking text currently available on the market.
Pick the Right Wording for the Occasion
If you don’t explain something, you should avoid using terms that your audience isn’t familiar with.
Avoid making generalizations about people’s sexual orientations, gender roles, and the like.
The usage of male terminology to refer to both men and women should be avoided, as should the inclusion of information that is irrelevant to the discussion.
Make use of the labels that people and groups employ to define themselves.
Vocal Qualities
Vary your inflection; it is challenging to listen to speeches that are delivered in a monotone.
Ensure that the volume is set appropriately; being too loud might be bothersome, while being too soft ensures that no one will hear you.
Make strategic use of pauses; while the right pause at the right time can have a significant impact, employing pauses too frequently or for too long can become distracting to the audience.
Choose a suitable rate – fast is not necessarily bad, nor is slow – you need to choose a tempo that is appropriate for the occasion, the topic, and the audience in order to ensure that you are understood.
Please ensure that you accurately pronounce words, as doing so might be detrimental to your credibility.
the ability to form words clearly, not to run syllables together, not to chop off the endings of sentences, and not to mumble are examples of articulate and enunciation.
Make sure to engage in the appropriate nonverbal behaviours.
Steer clear of nonfluencies like as “uh,” “um,” “like,” and “you know” because they are distracting, lower your credibility, and may give the impression that you are trying to deceive someone.
Ensure that you are adequately attired; in order to determine what is considered appropriate, you may need to do some study.
Perfect your posture and movement – having good posture contributes to having excellent vocal qualities; every movement should have a purpose, and in most cases, it should be kept to a minimum. Having good posture contributes to having good vocal qualities.
Maintain eye contact – Maintaining eye contact with your audience is an effective way to engage them and receive valuable feedback about your presentation. However, different cultures have different standards regarding eye contact, so it is vital to be aware of these differences.
Make use of the proper motions; your body language ought to contribute to rather than distract from the presentation.
Practise
Perfecting one’s delivery in front of an audience takes a lot of work!
Have sufficient familiarity with the material you will be presenting that you will be able to “go off” your notes if required.
Recording yourself on audio or videotape or practicing in front of a mirror might help you identify areas in which you can strengthen your performance.
Be sure to have responses ready for any questions regarding your presentation that you anticipate being asked.
Practical Application
The purpose of Lenny’s meeting with Martin, an important potential customer, was to have a conversation about whether or not it would be in Martin’s best interest to conduct business with Lenny’s company. Lenny was well aware that a person only gets one chance to make a good first impression, so he prepared himself by putting on his best suit, shaving, and running through in his head what he was going to say. He spent some time researching Martin’s background in the business and discovered that Martin regarded honesty as more important than everything else. Lenny used the time leading up to the meeting to relax in his office by having a cup of coffee, looking through his notes, and taking a few deep breaths.
When they were finally face to face, he greeted Martin with a firm handshake and a confident introduction. After that, he continued to talk about business in a language that was easy to understand and uncomplicated, steering clear of any jargon that Martin might not be familiar with. Lenny maintained his practise of providing a concise explanation whenever it was necessary. In order to ensure that he did not miss any non-verbal feedback that Martin was providing, Lenny maintained eye contact with Martin while they were having a conversation. After listening to Lenny’s presentation and participating in the subsequent talks, Martin made the decision to work with Lenny’s company.
