Kim Zoller - You Did What?!: The Biggest Blunders Professionals Make (A Confident Communicator’s Guide)

Behavior is a mirror in which everyone displays his own image.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Impressions are made in seconds. Most of the time, these impressions determine the outcome of a situation before the actual interaction begins. Weve all heard the saying, You dont get a second chance to make a first impression. People tend to focus on small things that can affect your future.

Research has confirmed the importance of first impressions. Most businesspeople determine if they want to do business with you based on these first impressions. By planning ahead, you can decide what you want your image to be and what impressions you would like to leave others with. This gives them every opportunity to do business with you, hire you, and be loyal to you.

In an ideal world, others would not judge us. In the professional world, judgments are made and impressions happen within seconds of first meeting someone. It is important to take time to think about first impressions and how others perceive us. Some aspects of first impressions include posture, body language, appearance, and your personal style. If done right, this can play a role in forming favorable impressions that will go a long way toward building your career.

There are three basic components that contribute to a others impression of us:

The words we use make up 7 percent of an impression.

The way we sound, that is, our intonation and enunciation make up 38 percent of an impression.

Our nonverbal messages and our body language make up 55 percent of an impression.

These components determine how others perceive us and how they react to us. Being one step ahead means leaving nothing to chance. You must perfect the details of how you present yourself. Think about the people you know who are successful and professional.

What makes the people I admire professional?

What did I learn from them that can help me become more professional?

How do I want people to perceive me?

What image do I want to project?

On the Side

Recently, we were selecting a vendor to furnish our new office. We couldnt believe the treatment we received. Some vendors acted as though they were doing us a favor. Others arrived a few minutes late to our first meeting. We hired the vendor who had the most professional peoplethe people who treated us well and acted as though they were thrilled to be with us. They were willing to do whatever it took to make us happy. Its a pity that the other vendors overlooked the possibilities. It turned out to be $100,000 worth of business.