Three Moves to Ditch to Make a Better First Impression

If ever you leave a conversation or a party wondering why no one seemed to click with you, it might be for a reason. Perhaps that reason is that the people you just met are disgustingly uncool and have terrible taste in people, or perhaps you left them with a horrible first impression of yourself. You looked nice, you smell good, your breath isn’t gross…so what’s the problem? The problem may be how what comes out of your mouth sounds. If you want to make a better first impression, you have to stop doing these three things right now.

Interrupting

Nothing is less attractive than someone who interrupts, especially during their first impression. No one enjoys being in the middle of conversation only to hear you open your mouth and begin talking over them. What you have to say might be so important, but when you say it is even more important. Wait your turn. Nothing – short of an emergency – is worth interrupting.

Impressing

“Excuse me, I didn’t mean to come in late. I was trying to find somewhere to park my new Porsche. I have a four car garage at home and since I’ll be in Fiji all next month I just don’t have any time to worry about my baby being dented or scratched right now,” is not the first impression you want to leave anyone with. No one likes it when you walk up and try to impress them. It’s one of the most unattractive qualities on the planet. Here’s a piece of advice; no one actually cares what you drive, where you live or what you do for a living because they’re all to worried about what they’re going to wear to dinner the following night, when they’re finally going to become parents and how much longer it will take them to move up the corporate ladder.

Criticizing

When you’re meeting new people for the first time, criticizing someone else to gain their attention or admiration is not going to work. No one wants to stand there and listen to you criticize the chicken your host just served. They realize it was dry, but they also don’t want to criticize her seeing as how she was kind enough to invite you all to dinner.