As the old saying goes: ‘You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression’.
According to one university study*, people make eleven decisions about us in the first seven seconds of contact (“The 7/11 Rule”.
They are the following:
1. Education Level
2. Economic Level
3. Perceived Credibility, Believability, Competence and Honesty
4. Trustworthiness
5. Level of Sophistication
6. Sex Role Identification
7. Level of Success
8. Political Background
9. Religious Background
10. Ethnic Background
11. Social/ Professional / Sexual Desirability
(*Source: Michael Solomon, PhD, Psychologist, Chairman, Marketing Department Graduate School of Business, NYU.)
And then according to this study the rest of your time is spent finding evidence to prove your original impression of that person, whether that impression is true or not. This study emphasizes the importance of creating good first impressions. you can learn how to do that by reading some of our past posts about executive presence.