Exactly how much time do you have to make a strong first impression? Research from Experian Credit Expert in the United Kingdom found that the average person forms first impression in the first 119 seconds of meeting someone knew. This means you have just under two minutes to win over an important business contact or potential client! How can you use that time to your advantage and make the best impression possible?
Check out our three tips below!
Maintain Eye Contact: In order to make strong, confident eye contact without staring or appearing aggressive, make eye contact for approximately 80% of the time. You can manage this by maintaining roughly four seconds of solid eye contact at a time, and then briefly looking to the side for one second before looking back.Related:
The Key to Building Professional Connections Speak with Confidence: When you first meet someone, pay attention to your tone of voice. Breathe from your abdomen for a strong, dynamic speaking voice, and keep your rate of speech even and relaxed.
Learn the Art of the Handshake: Since the handshake is likely to occur during first few moments of meeting a new contact, be sure yours is warm and confident. Apply firm pressure, but not so much that you are squeezing the other person’s hand. Gently move your hand up and down two to three times while making solid eye contact. Most importantly, make verbal contact as you shake hands using a simple greeting as “Nice to meet you.”
