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VOLUME 11 - ISSUE 4
Putting Your Best Foot Forward
We’ve all faced it… the dreaded First
Impression (insert dooming sound here).
3.
And, did you realize that the first impression is created within the first seven seconds or less. Forbes.com recently published in interesting study compiled by
Alex Todorov and Janine Willis from
Princeton University, they had subjects
view a microsecond of video of a political
candidate, surprisingly research subjects
were able to predict with 70% accuracy
who would win the election. That’s not
much time and shows how important your
first impression is. Whether you’re going
to a job interview, attending your first day
in a new school, or meeting your possible 4.
future in-laws for the first time it can be
intimidating; but, there are things that you
can do to help improve your chances of
creating a favorable “mental picture” for
whomever you may be meeting.
Here are just a few things you can do to
ensure that everyone sees your “best side”:
1.
2.
Adjust your attitude and set an
intention. People can sense your
attitude quickly, be sure that you
consciously choose the attitude
you want to embody and set the
intention for it.
Straighten your posture. Such a
simple adjustment can make an
incredible difference in how people perceive you. You will appear
5.
both confident and competent.
Think about your ornaments. Dress
appropriately for the situation and 6.
company. Your jewelry, clothes,
make-up and watches all say something about you, be sure they are
delivering the message you desire of
them. There are a few ways to increase the impact of your wardrobe, wear darker colours as they
will imply more power, presence
and credibility. To look taller and
thinner, wear one colour when
dressing.
Be aware of what your body is saying for you. Body language accounts
for up to 55% of our com munication, be sure to smile, a genuine
smile that comes from the heart.
Make eye contact (to improve this
make a point of noticing the eye
colour of everyone you meet).
Raise your eyebrows (by opening
your eyes slightly more than normal
you can simulate the “eyebrow
flash” which is a universal sign for
recognition & acknowledgement).
Shake hands (the right way), which
means no bone crushers or limp
wrists. You want a firm grasp and 2
-3 pumps. Research indicates that it
can take up to 3 hours of continuous interaction to develop the same
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By: Cindi Chaisson
rapport as you can with a single handshake.
Be interested and interesting. If you
are genuinely interesting in meeting
and knowing a person they will sense
that. Lean in slightly, it shows that
you are engaged and interested in
what that person has to say. Be sure
to respect the other persons personal
space (in most business situations this
means about 2ft. apart). Be well spoken and sincere in the compliments
you choose to give, be positive &
enthusiastic, never complain, never
explain.
Be who you want to be. Think, act
and look happy and successful and
you will be seen & treated as happy
and successful which will lead you to
be happy and successful.
So take a deep breath and get ready to step
out with your best foot forward because you
may only have seven seconds, but if you
make the most of them, seven seconds is all
you’ll need.
Goman, Carol Kinsey. "Seven Seconds to Make a First
Impression." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 13 Feb. 2011.
Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Women, YEC. "5 Ways To Make a Killer First Impression." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 02 Nov. 2011. Web. 25
Apr. 2014
Debenham BA, Lucy. "Communication - What Percentage
Is Body Language?" Communication - Body Language.
Body Language Expert, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.