Seconds to impress?

There have been many opinions around this question. Countless are the psychologists who have concluded that only 7 seconds are enough for our brain to have an impression of the person in front of us. On the other hand, other scholars of the subject refer that it is in the first 30 seconds, when we have verbal or extraverbal communication, that this judgment is built.

The truth is that our brain is programmed to, even with little information, reach quick conclusions about it, it is an irrational, unconscious but immediate instinct, which some also qualify as a sense of survival to carry out a detection or evaluation in case of being necessary to act if there is any possible threat or when we are in the presence of something new.

When we meet someone, our brain acts quickly to make an evaluation, categorizing the information received and then building the judgment, taking into account our perception, experience and personality. According to several studies, it is said that about 55% of first impressions are determined by the appearance of the person we meet, 7% are determined by the way of their verbal or corporal expression and 62% depend on oneself and our personality. The phrase "There is no second chance to make a good impression" is well-known.

Therefore, it is important to know that, if someone makes a quick impression on our brain, we also make a first impression on other people, so we must know that, in order to make the best, as far as it depends on ourselves, we must follow a series of guidelines that will serve us both for our personal and professional lives, including:

- Be precise when it comes to what and how we are going to communicate.

- Have a good appearance.

- Be punctual.

- Do not allow interruptions during our communication with whom we have just met.

- Release tension, anxiety and nervousness by using the breath.

- Do not invade the physical space of the other person.

- Speak in a moderate, clear and calm tone, as this is often heard before interpreting what we say.

- Maintain eye contact while listening or speaking.

- Do not interrupt the other (a) and remain calm.

- Don't stop smiling.

These are all very useful mechanisms that will make you maintain effective communication and help other people form a very good impression.
So, if the first 7 or 30 seconds of meeting someone are so important, this is the best opportunity to reinforce your "judgment" or redirect it. It's in your hands, so make seconds worth gold.