Making a great first impression is imperative to building great relationships and success.
The ancient Greeks spent a lot of time thinking and writing about the effect of one personality on another.
They broke down the process of communication into three parts, which they called ethos, pathos, and logos.
The ethos of communication is defined as the ethical part. This revolves around the person you really are and, more important, the person you are perceived to be.
If you are in sales or business, the way you are perceived by someone, which will largely determine the influence you have over him or her, will be strongly affected by your level of credibility, your ethos.
In the area of personal credibility, the rule is that everything counts. Everything you do or don’t do either adds to or takes away from your credibility and your capability to influence someone.
Ethos is very important.
The Importance Of First Impressions
You’ve heard it said that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
The fact is that when you first meet a person, he makes a judgment about you in approximately four seconds, and his judgment is finalized largely within 30 seconds of the initial contact.
In a survey of the members of the American Personnel Consultants those men and women who are responsible for hiring people for large companies generally agreed that they made their decision to hire or not to hire a person within 30 seconds of the first meeting.Everything contributing to the way you look on the outside is important.
If it’s not helping you, it’s hurting you.
While you cannot control your physical features, you have total control over your dress and grooming. In fact, we generally assume that a person consciously and deliberately makes a personal statement about himself with every part of his appearance that he can affect in any way.
Your clothes are responsible for 95% of the first impression that you make on someone because, in most instances, your clothes cover 95% of your body.
Your grooming, your hair style and the other ways you can determine your appearance from the neck up also exert an inordinate influence on the way that you are perceived, on your ethos with someone. Your accessories all make a statement that will or will not help to put you in a position to influence someone.
How To Make A Great First Impression
Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, take complete control over every detail of your personal appearance and grooming. Resolve to look like a powerful, influential person in all your business activities.
Second, study fashion and proper dress so you know exactly what to wear and in what combination. Read a book, take a seminar or even hire an image consultant.
Small changes in your appearance can change your life.
Before we wrap up, I’d like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers:
“Making a great first impression is imperative to becoming an influential leader.”
Now I’d love to hear from you. What other aspects do you feel help you make a good first impression?
