Have you ever made a split-second decision on whether to engage someone’s services, buy their product or do business with them? Have you found the decision has already been made in your head before they have said more than a few words?
My guess is that you have done this many times. It is human nature to take in information about each person we meet, using all our senses and make a quick judgment almost subconsciously.
Creating a powerful first impression matters, because people want to do business with people they like. People's experiences and perceptions of you, whether positive or negative, will determine your results and reputation.
Your capabilities are incredibly important, but if that was enough, every capable individual would have their ideal role already.
As human beings, we are incredibly visual. Think of this: Imagine you are walking down a beautiful street in a new city and you are about to choose where to have dinner. You want to have a nice dinner and you are looking for a restaurant that ‘looks’ good. In your mind, you are judging the quality of the food based on how the restaurant looks and the impression it creates.
At this point in time you don’t have any other information. If the restaurant doesn’t look ‘good’, you instantly assume the quality of the food isn’t good either. The exact same phenomenon happens when we meet people. We will make assumptions about their capability and professionalism based on how we perceive them.
Studies also suggest that 55% of that first impression is created based on what we see (your image and body language), 38% based on how you sound, and our words take just 7%. This means that if your presence and body language are not congruent and sending the right message, your words might be lost.
Of course, your words count, but only after you have managed to get the listener to be open to listening to your words and ideas! Your body language, how you speak and the way you look will either support your message - or send a mixed or negative one.
How powerful and consistent are your first impressions?
Have a fantastic week!
Lots of love,
Alba Gomez is a presence and personal brand coach, keynote speaker, first impressions specialist and professional image consultant. Born in Colombia and based in Australia, she travels nationally and internationally for speaking, executive coaching, consulting and training.
Alba works with individuals and small groups right through to large corporations. She brings her client’s brand into line with their personal and professional roles, giving them the clarity and confidence to communicate and be their best. Alba uses a unique, results-orientated approach, drawing on her 14 years of experience with systems and processes as an engineer.
