The Psychology of Why a Good First Impression Is Important
If you only had one opportunity to make a great first impression, would you capture it?
This article is all about why first impressions are important and the psychology of how they work. Then, if you’re convinced that a good first impression is key, I’ve got some tips on how you can make your first impression great.
Importance of First Impressions
The reason why first impressions are important is that they can make or break forming a new relationship. When you start a relationship on the right foot, it can lead to new opportunities, connections, job offers, and business propositions to name a few!
And the best part? Once you start off with a good impression, that positive momentum will keep you going when times get tough.
Now let’s get more specific by focusing on how a good first impression can help you.
For the Job Seeker
Start your interview right: An interviewer will form an opinion of you right from the get go. Starting an interview with a good first impression will ease some of your stress. Also, the interviewer will have a positive opinion of you before getting into the meat of the conversation.
You might have 1 shot before other job seekers swoop in: An employer may be interviewing multiple people or one candidate at a time. Either way, getting your first impression right from the onset allows you to get ahead of the competition.
Gain valuable referrals: Referrals can get you a foot in the door with a team or organization that you’d like to work for. Making a good first impression will increase your chances of getting that referral.
Get job offers outside of a formal job search process: People get job offers outside of the formal job search process all the time. You can avoid an entire job search process leaving great first impressions on everyone you meet. You never know who’s hiring someone like you!
For the Young Professional
Get your boss and coworkers to like you: When you’re starting a new project or job, it is imperative that you start on the right foot with your new team and manager. Start with a good first impression to tick that box.
Start confidently: When starting a new job, it can feel nerve-racking, especially if this is your first job or a stretch role. Leaving a good first impression will not only get those around you to like you, but you’ll get positive feedback from them, resulting in more confidence that you made the right move.
Get introductions to grow your network: People want good people in their network. Starting a new connection with a good first impression can lead them to introduce you to others in their network.
For the Team Lead
Build trust quickly with your direct reports: Your team members look to you for guidance, support, and sponsorship. Giving new team members a great first impression will make them feel safe on your team and will provide a great foundation to build trust.
Set an example for your team: Team members can learn a thing or two from their managers. By making a good first impression on your direct reports, you show your team members what they can do to leave good first impressions on others (including you!).
Impress the higher-ups: While you do have a team to lead, you ultimately report to your department’s leadership. Leave a good first impression with them to start off those relationships right.
For the Entrepreneur
Develop strong partnerships: Partnerships are a great way to grow your audience and win business. When you leave a great first impression on a fellow business owner, it can pave the way to a fruitful partnership.
Gain more clients and customers: It takes time to build relationships and credibility with your customers. The good thing is that great first impressions are memorable, which will ultimately help you win more customers or clients.
Gain valuable referrals: If you make a good first impression with someone, they may be willing to help you by sending referrals your way.
Stand out from the competition: When you make a great first impression, you become memorable, which makes you stand out from the competition.
What Is a First Impression?
Now that we covered why first impressions are important, let’s dive into what a first impression really is.
At its essence, a first impression is how someone perceives you in the first moments of meeting or seeing you. In fact, it takes less than 20 seconds for someone to form a first impression. It’s that quick!
Importance of First Impressions Psychology
The importance of first impressions is rooted in psychology. Let’s dive in the main psychological concepts for first impressions.
The Primacy Effect
Try this out: Ask a friend to read aloud a list of random words, numbers, or letters. Next, go to your kitchen and name the foods there for about a minute. Then, write down all the random items from your friend’s list that you can remember.
Which part of the list did you remember most accurately? My guess is that it was the first couple of items. That’s the primacy effect: The tendency to remember the first items over the remaining items, even after some time has passed.
First impressions come from that same concept. People are more likely to remember your first impression over anything that comes afterward – which adds to why nailing the first impression is so important.
Fast vs Slow Thinking
Here’s another psychological concept about first impressions: fast vs slow thinking.
There are two modes of decision-making. We either make quick judgments in the moment or analyze all possible information before making a decision.
Which mode do you think is easier for people? Yes, making quick decisions is easier than taking the extra time and energy to do a thorough analysis. In fact, it is hardwired in our brain to make snap decisions. Why? Because when we had to survive in the wild, we had to make snap decisions so that we wouldn’t get eaten or poisoned or pushed off a cliff.
These days, we don’t have as many life-or-death situations. Now, it is easier to judge someone quickly based on their appearance, tone of voice, and what they say than to think deeply about someone’s character.
The Halo Effect
Have you ever met someone who was charming, charismatic, and had an amazing first impression; but over time, you saw that they did not quite live up to all the charm. And yet, you still thought they were a great person. That’s the halo effect.
The halo effect is when our impression of someone is skewed by one positive trait, leading us to make generalizations about them as a whole. If you nail the first impression, you can take advantage of the halo effect by appearing flawless unless proven otherwise.
Fundamental Attribution Error
Think about this situation: You are driving down the highway minding your business. All of a sudden, someone cuts you off. What is your first thought?
In this scenario, I would assume that the lane-cutter is an awful driver because they cut me off. Is that accurate? Not likely. Maybe they were running late for work or simply didn’t see you. But you might assume that their bad intention is based on their action of cutting you off.
This is the fundamental attribution error: Assuming someone’s intention based on their actions. When making a first impression, it is important that the assumed intent is based on good actions.
How Do You Make a Good First Impression
So, now that we know why first impressions are important and the psychology behind them, you’re probably wondering how you can make a great first impression. The good news is that making a good first impression is something you can control. So don’t leave it to chance. There are some easy ways for you to be in control of your first impression.
Verbal Communication
Open with a friendly greeting and a useful question. It can be as simple as, “Hello, how can I help you today?”
Offer to help. Offering to help can lead someone to believe your intention is to be nice and thoughtful.
Use an approachable tone of voice. Sometimes, it is not about what you say but how you say it. Especially if over the phone, 86 percent of the impact is in your tone, and 14 percent of the impact is based on your words.
Speak slowly and clearly. The last thing you want is for someone’s first impression of you to be that they didn’t hear you! Speak slowly and clearly so they can hear you properly.
Use their name. Saying someone’s name makes them feel important, special, and remembered.
Talk in terms of their interests. People like others who have similarities and common interests.
Say thank you. People always appreciate some gratitude, whether it is for their business, their expertise, or their time.
Nonverbal Communication
Read the room. Don’t come in loud and heavy-hitting if the vibe is slow and quiet. Read the room to get a sense of how you communicate.
Smile. A smile makes you seem approachable and friendly.
Pay attention by focusing. Don’t get distracted by other people or things going on around you. Show that you’re paying attention to make someone feel seen and heard.
Use your body language. Lean into the conversation and uncross your arms to show that you’re interested in the conversation.
Actively listen. Listening can show someone that you are genuinely curious about what they have to say.
Personal Presentation
Relax. When you have a relaxed posture, your audience will also relax, even if the situation or context is stressful.
Don’t fidget. Fidgeting can be distracting and make you seem nervous.
Dress to impress. Pairing this point with reading the room, make sure to dress in a way that shows that you know what you’re doing without looking unprofessional or too stiff.
Tidy up. No matter how presentable you look, if your surroundings are off, it can reflect poorly on you. So make sure your office or background is clutter-free.
Attitude
Confidence. Appear confident in yourself and what you want to convey in your first impression.
Positive & Enthusiastic. Make sure you seem happy to see the person you’re about to meet (but not overly excited!).
Happy to serve. Be willing to help and share your can-do attitude by genuinely being excited to serve.
Be interested. Get curious about who the person is and what they would like from you.
Be sincere and authentic. Don’t just fake your interest – people can see right through that. Show genuine interest in getting to understand the person in front of you.
Do not be in a hurry. Hurrying can make it seem like you’re dismissive or distracted. Instead, take your time or arrive early so you can be fully present.
Preparation & Execution
Preparation goes a long way. Do your research ahead of time so you can dress appropriately and act properly.
Practice. Grab a friend or colleague and practice making a great first impression to figure out what feels authentic and what doesn’t.
Script it out. If you repeatedly make first impressions (like in customer service), you can script out your first impression for easy reference.
Ask for feedback. See how you did by asking for feedback on your service and if they would reach out to you again.
Can You Correct a Bad First Impression?
Now perhaps despite your best efforts, your first impression ended up not going so well. Yikes! Can you come back from it?
The short answer is yes, you can recover. But you need to put effort into the rebound. Consistently over-deliver to really wow your audience. And, continue putting into practice all the previous points in this article. You’ll bounce back in no time.
