First Impressions - Opinions Formed in the First Few Seconds of Meeting

Running head: FIRST IMPRESSIONS
First Impressions
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS 2
First Impressions
First impressions refer to the opinions that an individual form concerning others in the
first few seconds of meeting. There are many factors that may influence how those
impressions will be like. These include the dressing code, how a person talks and confidence
that one exudes. An individual cannot avoid these first impressions since they almost happen
subconsciously. Once formed, these opinions tend to remain engrained individuals and may
take time and effort to change. The best strategy seems to ensure that as much as possible, the
first impressions will be good. this could be through dressing elegantly, being confident and
maximizing on the strengths. This is very important even in formal meetings such as
interviews. People will always create first impressions and use them to form opinions about
you. The body and factors surrounding it (for instance dressing, looks and the way one talks)
influence the first impressions that people will make about you.
To illustrate the phenomenon of first impressions and how it works, I will explain my
experience. Ever since I was a child, I have always liked dressing in a formal but smart way.
Unlike most of my peers, I do not like wearing clothes that a mixture of many colours nor
those that significantly expose my body. I would describe it as inherent. No one taught me or
advised me to like such mode of dressing, I just found myself liking it. For my dressing, I
always receive opinions from other people. These opinions are usually based on the way that
I dress. These opinions are also varied in some way mainly depending on the age of the
observer. For instance, when I was little and even in high school, the new people I met
thought of me as a person who is calm and collected. In other word they thought that I am a
person who is not ‘corrupted’ by the world. In the current day, when I meet people for the
first time, they think of me as a serious business person. It is amazing how people can judge
you from the way you dress even when they know nothing/so little about you. Since these