Often people don’t think much about their impact on others. But actually we are all familiar with “first impressions”. Actually they are not just first impressions, we offer impressions every time someone sees us. They will often say “I was really impressed by so and so”. If we will simply pay a little attention to our demeanor we will make quite a large impact.
I recently saw a BBC special called “The Human Face” with John Cleese as host. I practiced making very big face gestures and smiles for the next few days, and I was amazed how much people seemed to notice me and speak to me who normally wouldn’t. All of a sudden I was much more “popular” than when I didn’t make big gestures.
So, what do others believe to be true about us when they see us? We have so many ways to impress them, what we say and do, how we use our faces, postures, gestures, etc.
We often think about how we are dressed or comb our hair, but much more impactful are our physical postures and movement signatures. They seem to leave far deeper, more unconscious, and lasting impressions. I have often had facial hair and shaved it off and no one seemed to notice. Occasionally someone will notice my clothes I am so proud of, but what really seems to work is to exaggerate some of my gestures, postures, and facial gestures to make a real impact.