National Learning Institute

Do first impressions count?

It takes less than 3 seconds to evaluate the other person based on their appearance, body language, demeanor, mannerisms and dress.  What's your impression?

I once worked with a young bloke named Neil. Neil was bright, energetic and well presented. There was only one detracting feature about Neil when you first met him – his handshake. Shaking hands with Neil was like holding a wet fish – limp and squashy. My boss at the time, Kendall Smith, was a very perceptive person.

Realising that in our business one had to make a good first impression, Kendall took Neil aside very soon after Neil started in the department for a chat. I’m told the conversation went something along these lines …

“Neil, I can see that you have a lot of potential and you present yourself very well. There’s only one detracting feature and that’s your handshake. People make judgments about others when they first meet and one of the factors that influences their judgment is the handshake. I’d like to see you develop a much firmer handshake. Here’s what I propose. Every morning when you come into my office to say ‘Good Morning boss’, I’d like us to shake hands. I want you to keep doing this every day until I tell you that you have got it right.”

Many years later, well after I had moved on from that department, I met Neil in the street. And as old colleagues do, we shook hands. Well, he practically ripped my bl..dy arm off! Either Neil had kept practising all these years or Kendall forgot to tell him to stop, I’m not sure which, but the difference was amazing.

During our discussion, I discovered that Neil was now manager of the department. Can you put that meteoric rise down to first impressions? Obviously not. But, and I need to stress this, one’s image or persona does have a major impact on how others evaluate you, both immediately and over the longer term.

There has been a tremendous amount of research done over the years on first impressions. This research consistently shows that:

• It takes less than 3 seconds to evaluate the other person based on their appearance, body language, demeanor, mannerisms and dress. And we do.
• These first impressions are extremely difficult to change or undo.
• Once people have made a judgment about the other person, they instinctively look for other clues (as the relationship progresses) to support their initial judgment. This is often referred to as the “halo effect”.

In a recent Canadian study, researches found that it takes less than a 20th of a second for someone to make up their mind about the quality of a web page. So it seems, whether it’s people or things, we make judgments almost as quickly as the eye can take in information.

What’s your image? What do you want it to be in the eyes of others?

As a boy spending time on my uncle’s farm, I learnt very early in life the value of image. Whenever there was a new salesman calling at the farm, my uncle would give me a running commentary on what to expect as the car came up the long drive. If the car was too new, then my uncle would say “Flashy, doesn’t understand his customers, probably a young upstart from the city”. If it was old and seen better days, he would say “Probably not very successful, maybe another farmer down on his luck and changing careers”. After the salesmen had gone, he would ask me what I thought of them – the way they looked, dressed, mannerisms, did they speak to me? Invariably, his initial impressions seemed to me to be spot on.

You can make the image that you want

I once worked in a financial services organisation where there was a highly respected and successful internal auditor by the name of Charlie. Charlie was an unusual dresser for an auditor. To start with he was very tall and thin – this could have been overpowering, but he had an uncanny knack of smiling at the right time. I also got the impression that with his piercing eyes, he could see right through you – he could certainly tell if you were lying. There was another unusual feature about Charlie. He wore the most outrageous shirts, and sticking out of the top of his shirt pocket you could see a green, red and purple pen – these were the colours of auditors.

Think about Charlie’s persona for a moment (even his name – I’m sure it was “Charles”, but he had deliberately made it “Charlie”). What was he trying to say? What are some of the requirements of an internal auditor? An internal auditor needs to be a cross between a policeman and a counselor – to be able to detect any improprieties as well as counsel staff on legal, accounting, ethical and if need be, personal matters. Charlie had deliberately set out to create an image that said; “I am an expert auditor, I see things that need to be seen. I’m also a warm and understanding person, I can handle emotional people”.

In your business, what is the image that you need to create? Take a look around the organisation – who are the three or four most admired and successful people? Now, you want to emulate these people (not copy). How do you do this?

• Take four plain post-it note size cards.
• Write the four people’s names, one per card.
• Place the cards, name down, shuffle and draw two at random.
• On a sheet of paper, list the things about these two people that are similar.
• Repeat the drawing of two cards and listing their likenesses until all combinations for the four people have been exhausted.

You now have a list of traits, characteristics, behaviours, mannerisms etc. that characterise these successful people. In fact, you have just defined the key aspects of your successful role model’s images. Let me repeat. You should not copy these people, but you can adapt your presentation, style, communication and ultimately your image, to match that of the most successful people in your organisation. After all, they’ve learnt what works, why not use their experience?

Now that you have an idea of what your image should look like, here are some practical tips for displaying that image.

• Dress to suit the organisation or the situation. People do make judgments on what you wear, so make sure it is appropriate for the environment. Even when there are recognised casual days (or your organisation dresses casually) make sure your dress is smart and looks professional. As Lord Chamberlain said to his son “Dress is a very foolish thing; and yet it is a very foolish thing for a man not to be well-dressed.”
• Learn and use people’s names quickly. One of the greatest compliments one can receive, is to be called by name. It’s also very impressive when you can remember other people’s names. Write them down as soon as you can, or if you don’t have that immediate opportunity, repeat the person’s name two or three times in the first few minutes of the conversation.
• Ask lots of questions and ask for help. Asking questions shows a genuine interest in people. Asking for their help shows that you respect them – it also shows that you are human and ready to learn.
• Listen more than talk. Although people will want to hear your opinion, there’s a fine line between giving your opinion and being over bearing. Err on the side of caution. Listen, it’s amazing how much you will learn.
• Give praise and recognition. Show your appreciation for the things people do for you. Compliment them on their good work.

You can learn to make a positive and lasting first impression, modify it to suit any situation, and come out a winner. It means that you need to think about what image you wish to portray and most importantly, “How will I present myself in this situation?”

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