First Impressions Essay

1376 Words6 Pages
First Impressions First impressions happen to people every day. In a first impression, we create a preconceived image in our mind of what a person, place or thing is. This image is created both by physical characteristics and non-physical characteristics. In first impressions of people, some physical characteristics that play a part are posture, eye contact, the way one is dressed and personal hygiene. Some non-physical characteristics are the way a person speaks and interacts with others and perceived intelligence. Another part of the first impression is based on how a person feels at that time. A person in a good or positive mood might create a different first impression of a person than a person in a bad or negative mood. In a good mood, one may paint a positive picture of a person, focusing on the positive parts of the initial interaction, while in a bad mood, one may focus on the negative parts of the interaction. How First Impressions Strike Us Though first impressions may be inaccurate at times, unfortunately they create the initial basis on how we feel about others. First impressions are our first and sometimes only opportunity to provide a sense of who we are and what we stand for (Demarais & White 2012). It will most likely take time to change a negative perception of a person based on a first impression. In leadership, first impressions are vital. It is critical that a leader creates a positive first impression. If one's impression of a leader is not positive, a person will most likely have trouble trusting or question the direction a leader takes a team in a project. John is an Extrovert After reading the first scenario, John is pictured as being a confident, very social, young professional, who seems to be virtually carefree. He appears to be very relaxed, and is able to enjoy the simple things in life. Clark shows this by commenting on how he
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