10 Mistakes That Can Ruin Your First Impression in Seconds
Making a great first impression is something you should be concerned about because you never get the chance to meet people for the first time more than once. You should strive to leave the best and positive first impression when you meet new people. If you fail and leave a negative first impression; you may never get a chance to change people’s opinion about you
Even if you don’t care about the opinion of other people, it is still very important to make a great first impression. You can do the right thing at the right time and fortunately, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to leave a positive first impression – you can start by avoiding some very common mistakes. Here are the 10 mistakes that can ruin your first impression in seconds.
Being Late
Latecomers are generally seen as unreliable people. Arriving late gives the impression that you’re not well-organized and you don’t value other people’s time. Also, when you rush to a meeting haphazardly just so you could beat the clock, you may not be as focused as the occasion requires. For this reason, it’s important to plan adequately, to avoid being late or rushing to the meet-up.
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Neglecting Your Appearance
You may think that your personal style doesn’t really matter, and shouldn’t affect the way people see you – but you’d be surprised to know that people pay a great deal of attention to your appearance. If you come across as someone who doesn’t really care about the way they look, it can leave people with a poor impression of you.
The good thing is, that it doesn’t cost much to groom yourself properly, and it’s actually best to keep it simple and stylish. Make sure that everything on your body – from your hair to the shoes on your feet – looks neat and clean. Wearing ironed clothes that fit properly, will instantly make you look well put-together. Your appearance alone may be enough to endear some people to you – even before the beginning of the conversation.
Being Sleep Deprived
It is very easy to ruin your first impression when you are looking seepy and tired. That’s because being sleep deprived can actually make you appear unhealthy – and according to research, grumpy and sickly-looking people are often seen as unattractive. Therefore, to make a great first impression, get enough sleep to be more mentally alert and avoid looking like a zombie.
Giving A Bad Handshake
Your way of shaking hand with people can also influence your first impression. People may consider you as an aggressive and arrogant person if your handshake is forceful. They may also see you as a shy, less expressive insecure person if your handshake is limp and very weak. The best approach is to make your handshake firm, warm and brief. Don’t squeeze the other person’s fingers or shake their hand up and down excessively. Also, avoid holding a person’s hand for too long.
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Having Bad Teeth
Smiling is an essential part of greeting someone, as it gives the impression that you’re happy to meet them. Since a smile is inevitable – especially when you’re meeting someone for the first time – one of the first things people notice is your teeth.
With that said, some people are easily repulsed by slight dental imperfections such as crooked or stained teeth, and without bothering to know the cause of it; they may falsely conclude that you lack proper oral hygiene. This kind of negative first impression could spoil your chances of achieving your goals for meeting that person. Thankfully, there are many options available to fix bad teeth – and if you’re concerned about your smile, talk to your dentist, and take your oral hygiene more seriously.
Appearing Distracted During a conversation
everyone likes to know that the other person is paying attention to them. If you’re interacting with someone, and you’re looking elsewhere or fiddling with an object, then it means that you’re not paying attention. Yes, sometimes, due to our short attention spans, certain random thoughts may wander into our minds during a conversation. However, there’s nothing more irritating than trying to have a conversation with a distracted person. So do your best to keep your wandering thoughts in check, and pay attention to the conversation you’re having.
Crossing Your Arms And Legs
Body language is one factor everyone needs to be aware of. In case you didn’t know, the movement of your body passes subtle messages, which some people can read quite well. Crossing your arms, for instance, it passes the message that you’re defensive, edgy and not interested in the conversation.
On the other hand, crossing your legs gives the body language that you’re shy and holding some things back. If you want to look confident, comfortable, interested and open to the conversation, keep your legs and arms uncrossed.
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Invading Personal Space
People like to have their personal space. If you’re not on a mutually flirty date, you should learn to respect that distance between you and the person you’re speaking with. When you invade people’s personal space, you’ll just make them uncomfortable, and it’ll paint the picture that you do not respect boundaries. It makes you seem desperate and flashes the subtle red flag that you may overstep your boundaries in the future. This is a huge turnoff for most people, so be mindful of others’ personal space.
Forgetting Names
It can be embarrassing to forget someone’s name – especially if they remember yours. When you forget a person’s name, it makes them feel like you don’t value them. To avoid making this mistake, repeat the person name immediately after the introduction. You can say something like “Hello Mike, nice to meet you.” This forces you to pay attention to their name – and remember it.
Frequently Checking Your Watch Or Phone
Have you ever been on a date with a person who just can’t get their hands off their phone? It’s annoying, isn’t it? Now, that’s exactly how annoying it feels when you’re with someone, and YOU keep checking your phone. Yeah, it’s possible that you just want to check the time, but then, it still shows that you’re not all too interested in that person, and you’d rather be elsewhere. Everyone indeed likes to have their phone handy but to avoid giving this negative impression, its best that you put your phone in your bag or pocket, and check it after your conversation.
Final Words:
First impressions matter a lot because once you miss the opportunity to make a good one; you’ll never get it back. People generally put in the effort to make a good first impression, but we’re only human, and we make mistakes sometimes – and these mistakes may leave a negative impression that may not be a true reflection of who we are. Avoid these mistakes to leave an unforgettable first impression and do your best to win people over right from the beginning.
