Making a Good First Impression Is About Engaging, Not Impressing

By Alexander C. Van Gorp

How many times have you been introduced to someone and they start the conversation by crushing your hand and then proceed to pat themselves on the back, or they “coincidentally” attach a resume to the each email they send? Too often we hear about crafting the perfect elevator speech and proceed to try to get it all out before actually engaging with the other person.

First impressions set the perspective each person views the rest of the interactions. This article notes how first impressions should be about making a connection that’s memorable (in a positive light) rather than to “wow and dazzle.” Learn about the other person by asking open-ended questions and use that information to make it a more personal discussion and that moment and in future conversations you hopefully can now have.

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