How do you make a good first impression, and then, how do you make a really good first impression?
Does it start with hello?
Logically you would say yes of course; as Hello, Hi, Hola, Ola, Bon Jour, Buenas Dias and a multitude of other greetings are generally the first sound and words that we express towards one another.
In reality, making a first impression happens long before the first word is uttered.
There has been a long cited study about the effectiveness of communication:
7% Words, 38% Tonality, 55% Body language (below the conscious level of awareness)
If this study is accurate then, there is a whopping 55% – 93% that a someone will "pick up" about you at an intuitive, emotional or energy level, before you even have a chance to speak to them. Remember when you may have smiled at a perfect stranger just because …?
How does body language and your energetic presence and emotional intelligence give people the opportunity to intuitively know about you and pre decide whether they like you or even if they want to say hello … without knowing you?
"The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves but in our attitude towards them." – Saint-Exupery, The Wisdom of the Sands
In making a good first impression, it is amazing and astonishing how much we can perceive about each other by our physical presentation, our posture, the way we dress and the expression we have on our faces. You may say "I just had this feeling …"
How can you tell if someone has had a bad day? What are the tell tale signs?
Shoulders slumped, head hanging low, a sad or angry look on their faces. There are people who, when they enter a room, it sees as if they bring in a "black cloud" of gloom. They may seem preoccupied, not paying attention, or busy on a call or just "lost in their own thoughts."
Whereas someone who is happy, charismatic or enthusiastic gives off very different signs and you will get a very different first impression. What are the signs of this type of person?
Welcoming, happy, engaging and present in the moment?
A bounce in their step, bright smile, even if they are on the phone they are pleasant towards others with out talking directly to them. Do you know someone who has the ability to cheer up a whole room when they enter … just by the energy that emanates from them a type of radiance or maybe a fresh or healthy glow.
What first impression do you wish project to impact your family, friends, customers and team members every time you enter the room and before you say hello?
What type of energy, enthusiasm, and emotional intelligence are you looking for in the relationships and team you build around you?
You may have heard this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson – "Who you are speaks so loud, I can not hear what you are saying."
You may read that when emotions are high, then intellect is low and the inverse is true, when the intelligence IQ is high the emotional intelligence EQ, is low.
How do you achieve a happy balance of intellectual and emotional intelligence so that you can be passionate, brilliant, quick witted, charismatic and create a really great first impression. What skills give you the ability to be enthusiastic, coherent, responsive and not reactive?
So that you always create a great first impression ad you are engaging and charismatic even before you say hello!
To become aware, alert and mindful of the impressions and effects people make upon each other it is helpful to understand the various levels of energy and emotional intelligence and how it affects your world.