How important is it to make a good first impression? In this article, I will highlight 12 must do tips on how to make a good first impression. If you can master these 12 tips, you will be more successful and make better connections with other people, and truly change your life for the better.
The basics are simple. Dress well, maintain good Hygiene, and show Respect to others.
The first thing about making a good first impression is to dress to impress. Wear your best clothes (appropriate for the occasion) and in perfect order. Details matter so make sure you nail this part.
Next is taking personal grooming and hygiene seriously. Make sure your hair looks great, nails trimmed and clean, and your teeth sparkle and are perfect. If anything is not in order, fix it!
Lastly is Respect. Make sure you give the other person plenty of respect by listening to them, value their opinions, and be honest and upright. Respect their time by being punctual and prepared.
Making a good first impression is all about the little details. Below is my list of the 12 Must Do Tips on How to Make a Good First Impression. Practice them often until they become second nature and part of your character.
12 Must Do Tips on How to Make a Good First Impression
Arrive On Time
Always arrive on time, or better yet, arrive a few minutes early. Be prepared for traffic and other possible problems like getting lost. Arriving early is always better then arriving late, and is the best step toward creating a good first impression.
Always confirm your appointment and if there is a RSVP, make sure you confirm before the due date. This shows respect to the organizer and allows you to confirm the date/time and confirm the location.
There is never an excuse being late for something. Control your schedule and your life, and be on time!
Dress Your Best
Different occasions dictate what you will wear, such as dressing for an interview, going to work, attending a party, a date, or just hanging out with your friends.
How to dress well, and how to dress to impress, are two skills that help in making a good first impression.
You can dress to impress by first wearing clothes that fit well are in good condition. Find your personal style and build your wardrobe around it.
Then looking to make a good first impression, try not to step out of style norms. Save your edgy look for another time.
Also make sure your clothes are cleaned, wrinkle free, and free of hair or lint. Make sure your shoes are polished and all your leather and accessories match.
This is the easy tip on making a good first impression because everything is completely under your control. It just needs you to care and put in a little effort.
Always be Well Groomed
Good grooming is all about making sure all your body parts are clean and well taken care of. Its all about personal hygiene.
This includes having your hair cleaned and combed, body parts shaved or trimmed, and making sure you smell great. This also includes making sure your teeth and smile are perfect too.
In short good grooming entails making sure your personal hygiene is perfect.
I also recommend doing your best to make sure you are as healthy as you can be. Exercise, eat well, and make sure you are as good on the inside as you want to look on the outside. You are what you eat, so eat the good stuff.
Be Confident in Yourself, but Never Arrogant
When it comes to making a good first impression, your body language will often speak louder than words. But to make a good first impression, just control your thoughts and the rest will often take care itself.
If you continuously tell yourself to relax and be confident, you will naturally be more relaxed and confident. Your body language will display it by standing taller and straighter, and your positive energy will shine.
When you control your thoughts, your body language will follow. You can project appropriate confidence and self-assurance. You will stand taller, smile more often, make eye contact with the person you are talking to. All of this will help you to project confidence and put everyone at ease.
Almost everyone gets a little nervous when in a new situation but you can overcome this feeling if you focus on your thoughts.
By feeding your mind with warm positive thoughts, you will not only display positive subliminal messages but you will also learn to become a more warm and positive person.
But don’t wait to the last minute. You need to practice thinking positive thoughts and how to walk, stand, and sit with confidence. Practice until you master it.
Offer a firm handshake
Shake hands when you meet someone. It the standard way people welcome someone else and is also the way people say goodbye.
A gentleman will always stand when shaking someone’s hand, look the other person in the eyes, and smile.
If you know the person’s name, you provide a friendly greeting like Good Morning “name” or great to see you again. If you don’t know their name (or just forgot it), be upfront, introduce yourself, and ask for their name.
The handshake dates back to the 5th century B.C. in Greece. It was a symbol of peace, showing that neither person was carrying a weapon. It was the way knights would greet each other, showing their sword hand was empty, and that they were meeting in friendship.
A handshake helps you to connect with the other person. A firm handshake is impressive. It leaves a good first impression on the other person, and shows confidence.
Practice this one often, as it is often done incorrectly and is easy to correct.
Smile
A real smile creates a connection and good feelings between people. It is a clear message telling others you are genuinely pleased to meet them.
Smiling will make everyone at ease, including yourself. It will open doors and opportunities, and create trust between people.
People who are genuinely happy naturally smile more often and appear confident. Showing how confident and trustworthy you are will allow you to make true friendships with the people you meet. It is also a great stress reliever for you and other person.
There are countless benefits to smiling both for you and everyone around you. It is probably the best habit to develop and the single most important thing to do for a better life. Try it and see how it improves your life and relationships.
Maintain Eye Contact
It is a common first impression skill to look someone in the eye, smile, and firmly shake their hand. It is the holy trinity of meeting someone and is a skill to be mastered by all gentlemen.
Looking someone in the eye seems simple and easy, but anyone who tries it knows it is easy to get distracted. The trick is to maintain natural eye contact. No staring or looking around at other things.
The difference is what you are thinking about. When you are focused on what someone is saying and are present in the moment, you will naturally make proper eye contact. When your thoughts wonder, you will feel awkward when forcing eye contact.
To do this successfully, be present and in the moment when talking to someone, and be engaged in the conversation. When you are present, eye contact will happen automatically and the other person will know you are really interested in what they are saying. This makes a good first impression.
Be Polite
The Dictionary defines polite as “having or showing a behavior that’s sincere and considerate of others.”
Being polite can’t only affect in person interactions, but additionally, other kinds of communication. Written communication is a great example. When you create an e-mail, a tweet, a social networking post, or a txt, your politeness will show and be noticed.
There are many methods for demonstrating pleasantness. For example, putting your phone on vibrate during conversations, listening attentively to other people and not searching for your phone when speaking with someone are just some examples.
Additional ones are replying to an RSVP when invited (by the RSVP date!), and never using your phone speaker in public when the sound can bother other people. These are just a few of the most common ways to be polite to others.
Other kinds of pleasantness include answering messages on time, addressing people correctly using their titles, avoid making excuses or blaming others, practicing common courtesy, greeting others, asking open ended questions, using proper language, avoiding vulgarity, and being happy for other people successes.
Politeness will also be shown by not allowing the exterior conditions of your life to modify your attitude. Try to be useful to other people, apologizing whenever you get some things wrong, and respecting the other party’s space and time. There are countless ways to be polite and just as many to be rude.
Pleasantness may also be extended while driving your car or truck, talking on the phone, and just about anything else you can think of.
The simple rule is this. Truly care about someone else and you will naturally be polite to them.
Be Positive
Always being positive around others will show you in the best light and your happiness will transfer to everyone around you.
This is especially true if you can to remain calm and positive during demanding and challenging situations. This could set you in apart from everyone else in the room.
There are lots of tricks to stay positive. Always look for positive solutions in each and every challenge and avoid setbacks whenever you can. Be excited about talking to others and always show your confidence in yourself. Never compare yourself with other people, and always talk about the good and positive things in other people.
Different ways to be positive include always being grateful for everything and knowing that life will always change and be challenging at times. It is always easier to be positive if your friends are also positive. It is contagious so spread it around.
Stay positive is easier with low expectations. Always believe life is a gift and know that your days are numbered. Enjoy what you have today and look forward to many enjoyable tomorrows.
Be Genuine
Lots of people feel safer following a group instead of being themselves. Never give up on who you truly are and the values you stand for.
Most people don’t want to rock the boat. But if you trust in your values, then rock it, and be genuine to your self and values.
Being genuine does not mean stepping on others and forcing your beliefs on them. Understanding and respecting other people position and values is very important. Just never give up on yours.
Being genuine is a personal journey to yourself, and feeling free to express it politely and with confidence.
It will never be an excuse to behave poorly and disrespectfully.
Remember Names
A vintage way to create a good first impression is as simple as remembering people’s names when you meet them or reference them in conversations.
Remembering people’s names shows that you’re mindful. Additionally, it makes connections and interactions simpler.
I have always had trouble with remembering people’s names. This is simply because I am always focused on the big picture of any conversation and not the details. But, details always matter.
There are many tricks you can use to help remember someone’s name. Simply repeating their name back when introduced will greatly help you remember it. Associating some unrelated characteristic to the name would also help. Stuff like John is Tall, Mary has green eyes, and Joe is wearing glasses. The association between to unrelated objects can help you remember things.
I also find it helpful to also associate something interesting with the person. John like sailing or Mary went to Boston College. Relating names to facts also is a great way to engage in conversation because you know something that is interesting to them and something they would love to talk about.
I also try to write the name down along with some of my associated facts so I can read it later to help commit it to memory. This is probably the most important step for me.
If by chance you forget it, be honest and ask for their name again. Never continue in a conversation without knowing the other persons name and follow the steps above to commit it to memory again.
Don’t Interrupt Others
It is very rude to interrupt others when they are talking and trying to make a point. Some people talk fast, others slow. Some people get right to the point and others like to take you on a journey while maybe making a point.
Some people will not make their point at all.
No matter the reason, polite conversation requires you allow other people to finish talking before you begin.
Sorry to say that some people just love to talk and it will be come impossible to get a word in. My position is simple. Let them talk!
This article is all about making a good first impression. Making a good first impression requires you allow other people to talk about themselves, and requires very little input from you.
If you are truly engaged in what they are saying (even if you disagree), it can be very easy not to interrupt. Understand their point of view, show your interest with supportive phases, and let the conversation progress. In the end, you would have made a good first impression which is really your goal.
Listen, Understand, Reply
The ability to listen well affects how others see you, and how much they will like you.
People love others that can dedicate their complete attention when engages in conversation. They get the feeling of importance and that their views and words matter. And they should, because they are important as are their opinions.
The simple trick to listen better is to truly care what they are talking about. This could be very hard depending on the topic, but is critical.
If you care about the person, then you will care about what they are saying. Always maintain eye contact and return words of interest. Nod and show other physical signs that you are interested.
You should also ask open ended questions to provide an opening for the other person to talk more about the topic.
Remember the purpose is to make a good first impression. Learning to listen twice as much as you talk is very important and a great way to lean something new.
Conclusion on How to Make a Good First Impression
The old saying, “First impressions are the most lasting” is as true today then it was back then. You can never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Take the time, study these tips, and practice them until you have them down. Preparation is the key and it should be the basics of every gentleman’s lifestyle. For inspiration, I have a Pinterest board , Quotes for Gentlemen, to give you daily advice and words of wisdom on being a proper gentleman today.
I could think of another 12 tips on how to make a good first impression, but wanted to make the list small and easy to remember. Feel free to add to it, and please leave a comment below with any key tips you think should be included.
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Please also consider reading several other articles I have written , including 50 Best Quotes on Character Building and 50 Short Success Quotes for Life.
Thanks for reading.
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