How to make a good first impression?

TL;DR

To make a good first impression, manage the whole signal you send in the first few seconds, because people form a view of you almost instantly. Pay attention to how you look, how you sound, and how you hold your body. Dress and groom with some thought, notice your voice and how you come across the moment you speak, and set up open, confident body language before you say a word.

Insights

As communication coach Vinh Giang explains, a first impression is built from more than your face or your outfit. One useful way to break it down is your visual image, which is how you dress and carry yourself, and your vocal image, which is the picture people form the moment you open your mouth and speak. Working on all at once does more for you than fixing any single one.

Behavioral researcher Vanessa Van Edwards points out that your body language does a lot of the work in those first seconds, so it helps to set it up on purpose. Point your toes toward the person you are meeting, keep your hands visible and a little expressive as you talk, and let your arms stay loose so you can gesture and reach out to shake hands. Keep your shoulders down and back and angled toward the person, with your chin level rather than tilted up or down. This open, grounded stance reads as calm and confident.