Pearls of Wisdom

Have you ever met someone and instantly said to yourself, “I don’t know why, but I really like that person,” or “There’s something about that guy that bugs me.”

You have just formed an impression of the other person. And most of our first impressions are subconscious — we don’t even know we are making them. We only know that we have an overall, general feeling about this person.

Eight subconscious impressions that happen within seven seconds

Here are eight opinions people generally make of you within the first seven seconds of meeting you:

* How much money you make
* How much education you’ve had
* How much you can be trusted
* Your personality style and how agreeable you are
* How confident you are
* How intelligent you are
* What your work ethic is
* How dependable and accountable you are

Wait a minute! How can someone make all these decisions about someone in the first seven seconds? Good question.

Let’s talk about some tips to make a good impression in the first seven seconds.

The walk

The first thing people notice about you is your walk. If you keep three things in mind, you will be on your way to projecting a more professional image:

* Stand upright. Hold your head up. This shows how confident you are.
* Don’t hide your hands. Don’t put them in your pockets or hold them behind your back. Why? Because if your hands aren’t showing it sends a subliminal message that you can’t be trusted — that you have something to hide.
* Walk with a purpose and with enthusiasm. This shows your personality and confidence. No one likes to see someone trudging up to them, head down, eyes diverted.

The tune-in factor

People want to know that you’re interested in them. You can do that by:

* Maintaining eye contact for four seconds. If you don’t hold the eye contact, you appear to have “shifty eyes” and, therefore, you seem non-trustworthy.
* Smiling strategically. But don’t have a smile on your face as approach the person. As you start to shake the person’s hand, look into their face, and let a smile slowly creep across your face. If you walk up to someone overexcited, the other person may feel as if you want something. In fact, you very well may want something. But you’ll have a far better chance of getting it if you use the “slow creeping smile” technique. (Note: It’s a slow creeping smile; not a slow creepy smile.)
* Showing enthusiasm while greeting people. We all like upbeat people. But there is a caveat here: you should appear enthusiastic — not overmedicated.
* Shaking hands with sincerity. A handshake is a gesture of welcome: the palms interlocking signify openness and the touching signifies oneness.

Courtesy HP Learning Center (Business Etiquette)