Quick first impression
Quick first impression
Let’s face it, life moves quickly.
Making a lasting and positive first impression now has to be done in record timing. Move aside Olympians, this is a dash to the finish that has to be sprinkled with finesse and style. So how exactly can someone exude positivity, professionalism, and friendliness in mere seconds?
Traditionally in business, a first impression would be one that someone could prepare for. You would go into a business meeting, or networking event and would have time. Time to talk, time to move around and scope out the scene. That time is being less and less available, which means that making a first impression that could potentially launch your career to a new platform, will be that much more restrictive.
Here are three fool-proof tips on how you can nail your first impression:
Give a strong handshake + make eye contact. I’m not kidding when I say that I actually used to practice my handshake when I was younger. It’s one of the things I ((strangely enough)) tend to get complimented on. “Oh, what a nice handshake you have.”
People do notice. When giving a strong handshake you want to make sure that you’re literally connecting with the person’s whole hand. No finger tickles. No limp wrist. No hulk-grip either though. I normally allow for two-to-three shakes before I let go. All this is done while maintaining eye contact. You want to ensure that the person you’re being introduced to feels like all your attention is on them. Not in a creepy stalker way, but in a "Hey, we could be friends” kinda way.
Always give a compliment. This is a trick a learned from my friend Lynee back in college: Whenever you meet someone, find one thing you can compliment them on. It can be anything from their success, to their outfit, to their hair clips. I’m not kidding when I say : anything. It shows you’re attentive, aware, and not afraid to be nice.
Leave with a call to action. Whenever you meet someone that you want to connect with, the goal is… connecting. A big mistake a see rookies make when making their first impression is that they say hi, and then bounce. Toodles. Adios. See-ya-later!
In order for that impression to leave an impression, you need to leave with a call to action. Is it following each other on Instagram? Exchanging emails? Inviting them out? Whatever it is, the goal is to continue conversation in any form. If not, your meeting would have been in vain. Although I recognize this may be more difficult to do when meeting someone way up in the echelons, I also know that there is always an assistant, publicist, colleague on-hand that could also serve as a valuable connection ((ahem, this could be me)). Don’t always keep your peripherals on that one person. Scratch the surface to see who is part of their team and introduce yourself to them as well. From there, you can start to develop genuine relationships.