First Impressions are Very Important

Are first impressions really important, or is it the inside that really counts?

If you answered ‘the inside that really counts’, you’re wrong. First impressions are really important. It is estimated that people judge you within the first 30 seconds of meeting somebody.

We should also be good person on the inside, too, but that’s after the first impressions.

How we look

You are going to a cinemas. When you arrive, you sit at a comfortable chair, and wait for the movie to start. Not so long later, a man, with dirty clothes and messy hair comes along and sits next to you. The man is strong and polite, and has very good manners. You move to another chair far away from that man because you don’t feel comfortable next to him.

See? First impressions are very important. Polite or not, when we meet a smelly, messy person, we would probably avoid him. Because of that, he has no chance of showing us how good he really is on the inside.

As I said earlier, it is estimated that people form a first impression within the first 30 seconds of meeting somebody. So, how are we going to prove that you are really good, when we look so badly? So, we should wear neat clothes, comb your hair, do whatever to make ourselves look good… Then we can attempt to talk to people without risking anything.

How you talk

So, then continues the story –
After you moved away from the dirty but polite person, a man with fine clothes and well combed hair comes along and sits next to you. You begin to talk with him. He says thank you arrogantly when you said he is the most handsome man you’ve ever seen, and talks with a rough voice. You don’t feel comfortable, and break the friendship by going to the toilet and come back, seated at another place.

We should deal with the way we talk – the tone of our voice and mannerism. Although we may look well, if we talk roughly, people will slip away from us. So, we should talk softly and politely instead.

Although some people don’t judge by appearances and skip the ‘how you look’ part, they might judge by how we talk.

What You Say

And so the story continues –
Just then, a well dressed man comes to sit beside you. You greet him. You two then have a conversation. After a while, he points to the dirty man and says he is so stupid. He then points to the smart dressed man, and says he snores like a hog. You feel surprised. You then pretend to go to the toilet, and come back seated at another place.

We must say good and positive things, not foul words. We mustn’t criticize and make fun of other people. People we meet would feel bad about us when we do this. So, we should say positive things, and use manners. What would you feel if you met a man, and then the man shouts ‘shut up’ to the person next to him?

The Real You

It’s not over yet! After the first impressions, the person we met and us become friends. Now, we have to show our good insides – loving, courageous, bold, polite, friendly, kind, helpful, gentle, and etc.

And not sly, cowardly, hateful, rude, rough, and etc. If we have a bad inside, people whom we have befriended would dislike us. Being good on the inside is very important too.

Conclusion

First impressions are very important. If people were to judge us in about 30 seconds, how are we going to show our insides if we look or speak badly?

After we had made friends, we must be good on the inside, too.

This is what a page in http://healthyhabits.com was written:

Studies at UCLA have found that:

55% of first impressions are visual — how we look
38% of first impressions are based on how we speak — tone of voice and mannerisms
7% of first impressions are based on what we actually say — our words.

And that’s why we should have a good impression when meeting somebody.

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Update (28/11/08):

That goes to blogging too.

The look of the blog – is it nice, is it easy to read?

How you say in the blog – is it polite, does it offend the readers?

What you say in the blog – does it bring value to your readers?

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