First Impression To Classify

"...We have between 7 to 15 seconds to make a first impression face-to-face......we assess people really quickly, without much data. This assessment is made on a raft of factors. It might be a glance, their handshake, what they wear, their demeanour, whether they maintain eye contact and how they smile..."
Michelle Gibbings, 2022d

In the digital world it is the same for first impressions, and there is no separation between personal and professional image.

NB
"...Forming first impressions is quick, ubiquitous, and irresistible. Even though it takes a fraction of a second to form a first impression, its influence can be long-lasting. First impressions can impact whether people hire you, buy from you, marry you, or want anything to do with you in the future..."
Carmel Simon, 2022

First impressions is used as a convenient and quick way to judge whether somebody is trustworthy or threatening, ie help people predict others' behaviours. As explained elsewhere in this Knowledge Base, the brain likes to conserve cognitive energy. Consequently, first impressions can conserve cognitive energy as you can apply the knowledge gained from the first impression to similar people and situations. However, the adaptive nature of first impressions skews it to the negative interception of others, ie potentially
"...It is more costly to misjudge a threat, so people tend toward negative first impressions, especially in zero-acquaintance encounters..."
Carmel Simon, 2022

When meeting somebody for the first time there are some widely-agreed upon habits that convey confidence and make a positive first impression, such as the clothes you wear, your posture, your body language, tone of voice, eye contact, your manners, etc (more detail, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base), ie
"...the more fluid and steady your movements, the more confident you appear. If your movements are jerky, mechanical, or you hesitate, people will perceive that you are less confident......Even small adjustments make an impact......The more intentional your choices, the better chance of influencing your audience's first impression of you......when you make a positive first impression, it can carve the way for a strong, long-lasting business relationship..."
Jessica Petrucci Pham, 2022

Categorise people, situations & experiences on first impressions using intuition rather than time-consuming analysis; first impressions are hard to change as they are based on intuition; we then tend to select evidence that supports first impression; more time for assessment does not always increase accuracy of first impression. This involves experience and emotions plus perceptions. Part of this involves perceptions & sense making; with anxiety increasing if we cannot make sense of something. Classifications are binary, ie "either/or", "good/bad", "us/them", "loss/gain", "black/white" etc. Thus influencing first impressions is critical to influencing opinions and reactions; have 7 words &/or 2 seconds to create the first impression; want instant results.

"...You never get a second chance at a first impression..."
James Kelly as quoted by AFR 2023

Always need to develop a fantastic first impression, especially with key stakeholders.