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1. HOW TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST
IMPRESSION

2. FIRST IMPRESSION
When in a leadership role, you’re frequently required to
meet new people that you need to impress. Whether you
are meeting an employee, client, or you’re attempting to
promote your business at a networking event, first
impressions can be crucial.
Strangers will form snap decisions about you as soon as
they meet you – it’s actually only a tenth of a second –
influenced by both your verbal and nonverbal cues. You
can’t stop them from doing this, but you can alter your
behaviour to make this quick judgement work in your
favour.

3. HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS POSITIVE
IMPRESSION?
Nonverbal behaviour:
 Consider your attitude: Before you meet someone or enter a
boardroom, you should assess the situation and think about
the attitude you want to convey. People pick up on attitude
instantly so choose the attitude that will work for you, not
against you.
 Straighten your posture: Use your body to transmit your status
and power. To appear confident simply stand tall, put your
shoulders back, and hold your head straight.
 Say cheese: Smiling makes you appear friendly and
approachable – and it doesn’t cost a penny! It lets people
know that you’re happy to meet them and spreads good
feeling.

4. HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS POSITIVE
IMPRESSION?
Nonverbal behaviour:
 Make eye contact: This will help you to instantly connect and
build rapport, as a person can say a lot with their eyes! (Top
tip: to improve how much eye contact you make, try to notice
the eye colour of everyone you meet.)
 Shake hands: This is the quickest and most effective way to
make a connection with a stranger. According to research, it
takes around three hours of continuous interaction to form the
same level of rapport you can get with a single handshake.
Make it a firm one – but not so firm that their hand falls off!
 Lean in slightly: Leaning forward implies that you are engaged
and interested, but equally respect the other person’s space.

5. HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS POSITIVE
IMPRESSION?
Verbal behaviour:
 Ask questions: Question the other person about themselves
as this signals your interest in them. Be a good listener;
people love talking about themselves so let them do the
talking.
 Speak clearly: Talk at a moderate pace with a well-modulated
voice; the person you are talking to needs to be able to
understand you.
 Use their name: Make your meeting a bit more personal, and
it shows them that you were paying attention from the
beginning. (Top tip: frequent use of their name means that
you’re more likely to remember it.)

6. HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS POSITIVE
IMPRESSION?
Verbal behaviour:
 Use humour sensibly: A simple joke can lighten the
atmosphere, but be cautious and careful when using humour
and make sure you have already built rapport.
Consider these tips when you’re next meeting someone new or
are sat in a management meeting to form an instant good
impression!

7. FIND OUT MORE
If you want to learn more about ways you can
enhance your management skills, check out our
Power2Manage programmes.
To find out more about Power2Progress visit our
website at:
http://www.power2progress.co.uk