There are many ways to send a message to the people you meet for the first time before you even begin to speak. These small things that people notice about you in the first seconds of your meeting are very important. People quickly judge and the first impressions set the tone of the rest of the conversation, even the whole relationship can be determined by that.
To make the most of every meeting and set the right tone, make sure that you send the right signals from the beginning. Pay attention to these six small things that play a key role in the way people judge your personality.
Your appearance – The first thing that people notice about you is the way you look. And this is not a superficial judgment as many tend to argue. It is natural. The clothes you wear, the colors you’ve chosen, the way your hair is styled, it all sends a message. Sloppy dressers send the vibe that they don’t take themselves too seriously, so probably they won’t take doing business with you seriously as well.
Make sure that you dress the part, choose colors that complement your complexion, always spend enough time on grooming and styling. Don’t forget the details – the style, color, and especially the condition of the shoes are the key indicators of one’s personality.
Your handshake – The handshake shows a lot of one’s personality. If you have a strong handshake, you will be perceived by others as a confident person, who stands on their place strong. In contrary, if your handshake is soft and unsure, you may be perceived as uninterested in the meeting, bored and unsure of why they are there.
Eye contact – The eyes are the window to one’s soul, many people say. The lack of steady eye contact may mean many things – the person is hiding something, is shy or is not interested in speaking with you. All of these aren’t things that you would like someone to think about you, right?
Punctuality – People, who show up late for an important meeting, are automatically judged as incorrect individuals. Time is a scarcity and people don’t like to be held waiting. If for some reason you are running late for the first meeting with someone, make sure that you apologize at your arrival. This may make the situation better, but still, you will need to work much harder to minimize the effects of the negative impression.
Nervousness – Nervous habits like nail biting or leg shaking are not perceived well by others. If you show the people in front of you that you are impatient or unfocused, they will lose interest in conversing with you. The same is correct if you keep checking your phone or reply to messages. It is disrespectful and sends the signal that you are not taking the conversation seriously.
Conversational skills – The way you set the tone of a conversation says a lot about your personality. If you tend to talk just about yourself and don’t show any interest towards the person in front of you, it sends the message that you might be egocentric, a person, who doesn’t care about the opinions of others and is interested only in themselves. Nobody wants to do business with people like that, so better work on your conversational skills.
