10 ways to make a good first impression professional#

So if your goal is to get further ahead in your social or professional life, you need to get people to like you. To keep their attention and gain their trust, you must make a great first impression. This takes the pressure off, allows you to be yourself and leads to stronger connections.We live in a world filled with short attention spans, where trust doesn't come easily. I was recently given the best networking advice: Be authentic and simply try to make a new friend. If you go into it with the intention of getting new leads or gathering X amount of business cards, it's likely to become uncomfortable.

Networking events can be intimidating, awkward and loaded with pressure. Go in without a strict agenda and try to make a new friend. Be authentic, ask questions and start every conversation hoping to learn, “How can I help?” Something as simple as offering to make a helpful introduction goes a long way in leaving a positive impression and will often lead to long-term relationships. Networking is a powerful way to build business connections, but it’s important that your objective in meeting new people isn’t self-serving. Learn how you can help each new connection. Kat Krieger, Joyride Coffee Distributorsĩ. People will see you are genuine and it will resonate. We all have that one line or story about what we love about what we do and what our company does. Introduce yourself with an anecdote that resonates. The more interested you are in others, the more interesting you become. Asking a thoughtful question (having done your homework on the attendees first) is a great way to put others at ease and demonstrate your listening skills. The key to making a great first impression is to be curious about the other person. It can be so hard to boast about yourself and your firm’s accomplishments, but your friend from another company can do that for you and vice versa. If you are able to attend an event with someone you know from another company, it is great to meet people together - that way you can talk each other up. Lin Grosman, įorbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. I've found that the best approach for any networking event is to be myself and talk about my business in a casual, non-salesy way. When I discuss my business, I always try to share, not sell. I also do a bit of homework on which connections make sense for me to connect with so I am focusing my energy chatting with people who are relevant to my career and industry. Acknowledge a key point to add to the conversation rather than refocusing on you and your work. An effective way to make a good first impression is to join a conversation with a comment that shows you were listening to the current group of people.

Take a few minutes to listen to the conversation when joining a group of people. Listen when you join a conversation, then show you were listening. Your smile and authentic self will go a long way toward a positive first impression. Show real interest in what the other person does and ask questions before talking about you. Not only does smiling make it easier for people to connect with you because you are more open and welcoming, it also helps them remember you - and your company.