We form an opinion about someone within the first tenth of a second
of meeting them. Clothes, shoes, even jewelery, are picked up in the
blink of an eye. Beyond the surface factors, come the next level of
signals that are also vital to that first impression: body language, eye
contact, and tone of voice etc. However, it's the way that these two
elements work together that is the real key to making a good first
impression; if the new shoes don't 'match' your smile, this will be
(discretely) picked up.
It might seem like a lot of fuss about
nothing, but the old adage 'first impressions do count' really is true.
This is because of what's known as the 'halo' effect. In the mere moment
that it takes for someone to form an impression about you there follows
a ripple of associated ideas and opinions. For example, if they see you
as outgoing, there will follow a perception that you are also
confident, intelligent, reliable etc. Similarly, if you're perceived as
flashy in that first flash, there follows a negative series of
assumptions: dishonest, unreliable, argumentative etc. Armed with this
information, it's not too difficult to learn how to use the 'halo'
effect to your advantage and dazzle every new person that you meet.
Simple
ways to work your 'halo' when you meet someone are to smile and make
eye contact. But, what about clothes? Surely, in today's world of
fashion magazine saturation, it's easy for anyone to 'create' an image
with clothes. Follow the 'rules' and you could copy someone or some
style that you've always longed to be and use that image to magnify a
positive halo.
There are obvious problems with this approach, a
style or outfit copied from a magazine could simply leave you looking
like a generic carbon copy - sending out the impression that you are
unoriginal. More likely is that you'll simply feel awkward, which will
never create a confident spring in your step. Besides, even when do find
an outfit you love, you can't wear it every day on the off chance of
meeting someone new!
One small detail that can often be overlooked
is jewelery. Unlike clothes, if you find the right jewelery you can
wear it everyday. Diamonds can become girl's 'best friend' since wearing
real (or fake) rocks often signifies an image of glamor and confidence.
Choose pearls to look sophisticated, or gold to appear successful. If
you want to express the quirky, or creative, aspect of your personality
go for bold, funky 'statement' jewelery. As an added bonus, it's far
easier to 'play' with these ideas on a daily basis, or, to remove
jewelery if our mood changes. It is worth remembering though, that -
unless you're an established R&B star - too much 'bling' says Pat
Butcher, rather than sophisticate.
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