How to make a great first impression and keep your audience engaged

Luke Doyle gives the community some tips for a good first impression.

When you’re working with new people all the time, the impression you make dictates the very fabric of your professional life. And when you work in training, the initial impact you make on your clients and students will directly affect the way that they learn with you and what they take away from the experience.

How, then, can you ensure that the initial encounter is one that engenders mutual respect, maybe even good chemistry?

It’s a question both of preparation and of direct engagement. Dressing well and learning all you need to know about the people you’ll meet and the context of the situation will empower you to enter the room confidently and express yourself lucidly and with flair.

And once you’re in there, you still have plenty of work to do. Body language speaks volumes, and that begins with your handshake, which should be firm but not overbearing, and last around 3-4 seconds. Eye contact is important throughout to create an atmosphere of trust, while keeping your arms unfolded will make you seem open and approachable.

Don’t worry, your personality still counts too: show you’re interested by asking the other person questions, and you will keep the conversation flowing and take some of the pressure off yourself. Where these conversations leads will depend on your own character, and come to define the new found rapport you’ve created with your new student.

In conclusion: come across as a smart, conscientious, elegant individual in that first meeting and you are sure to capture an active ear. For more tips on how to do so, check out this great new visual guide from OnStride.

 

About the author

Luke Doyle is a content writer for Neomam Studios.

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