Communication Is Constant

Whether you realize it or not, you are always communicating in some way. Some experts estimate that 15% of your professional success is determined by skills and knowledge, while 85% comes from your ability to connect with other people and engender trust and respect.  You do that by communicating through your words, your body language, your actions  and your attitude.

What you actually say to someone only accounts for about 20% of what they "hear". The rest comes from your non verbal communication.  Your stance, gestures, tone of voice, eye language and other non verbal cues have an enormous impact on the message you send! And, you send that message almost immediately. The first few seconds of your meeting with someone are driven by habit and instinct. It is in those first few seconds that each person makes an unconscious, unthinking appraisal of the other.  This first impression either results in a feeling of safety and trust or just the opposite.  Which first impression would you prefer people have of you?

Practice first impressions There are many occasions throughout the day when you may be encountering someone for the first time.  Think about what first impression you want to make on the person you are about to meet and decide how you should approach them to make that impression.  Think about body language, tone of your voice, eye contact and, of course, your words.