When we meet new people, and here I am thinking of especially friends of our own friends, I can't express how important it is to make a good impression on them. Not only for ourselves, but we also don't want to embarrass our friends in front of their friends. After all, they introduced us to them, it's important that the first impression of us is a particularly good one.
It doesn't take too much time for someone to make a judgment about us based on a first impression. If we have made a good impression on others, we should try to keep it in the long term, which may prove to be an even more difficult task.
What do you think about when you want to make a good impression on others? Appearance, how we are dressed, groomed or things like that? Appearance is also important, of course, but that's not what I want to talk about in this article, but rather what are the four emotions we need to pay attention to.
Your first thought will be how to make a good impression, how to impress the other person. If you have something in your mind about that and you want to throw it in, it may not work, because you don't know how the other person will react to it, what it will trigger.
If you fail to make a good impression, you're unfortunately in the category of people, who don't make a real first impression and that's a very difficult one to get out of. However, if you can show those four emotions well and use them in the right order, you can be sure of success, because you will make a lasting impression.
Positivity And Lightness
Relax and don't be tense. Be positive and make the other person smile and laugh. Make them feel that, they are dealing with a cheerful person with, whom it is easy to connect and start a conversation. Everyone likes positive and funny people, so they won't say no.
Confidence
Make the other person trust you and don't make a connection with ulterior motives. Nothing good will come of that. Usually people can tell, when we are not being honest and we only want to get to know someone, because we have a premeditated agenda to carry out. This will not make a good long-term impression in any way.
Respect
Be sure to give respect to the other person. It will be appreciated, because nowadays, unfortunately, the number of respectful people has decreased, but let's give respect to the other person. The reason why we use it after we have gained trust is because, if we use it before that, it might even look like manipulation to the other person.
Enquiry
Be sure to show interest in the other person. They will reciprocate and we will become interested in them. Don't pretend to be interested, what they tell us can again be seen as manipulation and prevent a real relationship from developing. Let's try to find a common topic of interest between us. We can only be positive and light-hearted if we have a common topic and feel comfortable with it.
A typical introduction goes like this. "Hi, how are you? Hi, I'm fine. How are you? I am fine too. Thank you." Here actually comes an awkward silence and we both wait for the other to say something. Let's put that aside and make this introduction a bit more interesting and bring it a lot more life. Like this: "Hi, how are you? Hi, Thank you, I feel fantastic."
They're going to jump up and down, because they're expecting a simple fine. Then don't ask them how they are, but tell them straight away what makes you so sensationally well. This is where we can bring in the positivity and lightness described in the first step. This in itself will start a small dialogue or at least we will get a question or two. Then we can ask how they are. The answer will not be delayed and we will get more, than a thank you I am fine.
Once the communication is established, remember to smile, but be careful here too not to put on an act, but to have a genuine heartfelt smile. If they see a smile on our face, we can be sure, that we will get a smile in return and then we have a winning case.
A fake smile will be noticed immediately, because they can tell it is not real. Then comes the confidence building. Much of communication is non-verbal, meaning that body language and touch tell a lot. Don't be afraid to touch the other person in conversation. Touch can build a lot of trust in the other person.
Think about your own relationship. As time goes on, we get closer and closer. Touch becomes more, than a handshake or a hug. Trust grows with it. Therefore, when meeting a new person, don't be afraid of a handshake, that is confident and firm.
Maintaining eye contact at all times is very important as we are talking to each other not to the wall or the ground. When talking, pay attention. Don't overdo what you say and don't talk about things, that might make the other person feel bad. If they ask a question, answer with interest and ask back. The point is to get the other person talking about the topic, showing that we are interested in what they are talking about.
For simple and common questions, don't just give the answer, but add something to it. For example: "where are you from?" Simple answers can quickly end the conversation and make it too monotonous and boring. Not to mention that a question-and-answer type of conversation can be boring and interview-like.
So add to the answer by saying that, where you were born you love the town or village where you grew up and what you like about it, or say that you moved away from your home town early and explain why. How much wider the conversation is, don't you think? In return, we get a satisfying answer.
If something is not clear to us, we should not be ashamed to ask why. This shows, that we are not simply skimming over a topic, but that we are trying to understand as much as possible and get the most out of it. Mutual interest will not be lost and we will certainly find common topics.
Once the communication has reached a point, where we are comfortable talking to each other, we can feel free to ask the other person's opinion about something we feel they are interested in. This also shows, that we are interested in their opinion and they will feel honored to be asked for an opinion.
All Image Sources: Unsplash
I do smile on first encounter and do eye contact but sometimes my smile looks too fake because I have a poker face, I don't have a smiling face at all.
I even got kicked out with my job before because my supervisor is annoyed with my face because she always wants me to smile because my face is not friendly at all if I don't smile 🤣