First Impressions

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Recommended: Observation of non-verbal communication

It’s generally accepted in our society that “first impressions are lasting.” (Great Quotes) I find it interesting that most people, myself included, don’t always plan to make a good first impression in their day-to-day lives. We usually work hard at first impressions for job interviews, first dates, and presentations but rarely consider that we are constantly making first impressions on others. It may be the checkout clerk in a grocery store, the secretary answering the phone, or the person we cut off from a parking space. I was also fascinated at the presentation of John, the subject of this assignment, on the webpage. It would be interesting to know if my first impression of John would have been different had the titles “Introvert” and “Extrovert” not been so prominently placed above the description. Also, I wonder if the picture next to these descriptions may have skewed my initial impression. It reminds me of the subliminal advertising and promotions we often see in movies. Just as picture placement and subtle facial expressions can influence a victim’s police lineup answer.

From my experience, many people are generally influenced by the style, cleanliness and general appearance of someone they meet for the first time. We can also form first impressions of someone by speaking with them on the phone. Do they sound well-spoken? Do they sound upbeat and positive? There are also subtleties we can pick up from people’s non-verbal communication. I recently listened to an audio book about neuro linguistic programming (Boothman, 2000) that suggested even our faintest movements can have a profound impact on how others perceive us.

It was a combination of all of these ways of perception that lead me to my initial impr...

... middle of paper ...

...e’re able to see that’s really a great fun guy but can be influenced by his work and home life, just like the rest of us. While we’d probably all like to be extrovert John, our situations may prevent us from making that great first impression all the time, in every situation. So, I believe, it comes back to treating other people like we want to be treated and not rush to a snap judgment but rather put things into context and allow people their foibles.

References

Boothman, N. (2000), How to make people like you in 90 seconds or less. New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc.

Clark, D.R. (2010), Concepts of Leadership. Retrieved March 20, 2011 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html

English 18th Century Proverbs. (n.d.). Great-Quotes.com. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Great-Quotes.com Website: http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/1376420

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