I’d arrived at the client’s premises early on that Saturday morning two weeks ago.
It was a new client, a respected organisation that provided specialised financial solutions ranging from securities trading to asset management.
An hour later, I was led into the training room to begin the first day of the two-day programme on advanced interpersonal communication skills. The participants were already seated, so I walked in briskly and smiled to acknowledge them. After the brief technical checks, I turned to face the audience. I smiled again, made my opening remarks, and started the programme.
As I progressed, I noticed from the body language of some of the 19 participants that I had yet to win them over.
But I wasn’t going to prematurely presume I was failing based on some perceived nonverbal cues. After all, I’d facilitated lectures at a globally ranked, double-accredited business school for over eight years and executed highly rated communication training sessions. From experience, I knew that the younger generation, Gen Zs in particular, were naturally more sceptical and inquisitive. Therefore, they were sometimes more challenging to persuade than executives.
So, I employed my facilitation skills, drew upon my communication expertise, and ended on a high note.
A week later, I proceeded with the programme’s second day and enjoyed my time with the trainees. My experiences reinforced one critical point I almost forgot when it comes to speaking or presenting to a new (tough) audience:
Create powerful first impressions, and good things follow.
First impressions can set you up for success. But they can also mar your effectiveness if you get them wrong within the first two minutes (for a speech or presentation) or within the first 10 minutes for a more extended stint such as my training programme.
Therefore, whether you’re an executive, professional or a newbie, the following are two factors to consider to make a great first impression on an unfamiliar audience.
#1) Dress the part
Although it was a Saturday and the participants were young professionals, I decided to dress formally. The participants needed to know I’d take them as seriously as I would their C-suite colleagues.
As I walked purposefully into the room and positioned myself at the front, I saw immediately that my outfit was being assessed. From my black trouser suit to my gleaming shoes, I saw that I was being ‘checked out’ as I spoke.
Later in the programme, when we tackled body language behaviours, one female participant, Ms Q, whose expressionless face made her look standoffish, confirmed my premise on the importance of dressing the part. She declared that unless someone dressed formally for important events, she tuned off within seconds and dismissed the speaker. She further explained that when that happened, it would take a lot of effort on the speaker’s part to win her over. In response, I humorously commented about continuing to dress formally for my other scheduled programmes, which led to other discussions.
But Ms Q’s point was valid.
Err on the side of caution, and always dress formally for important occasions to make a polished first impression. Dress the way you want to be considered.
To avoid the guesswork, ask the admin or event organiser about the recommended attire for your event. They’d advise you what to wear (formal, smart-causal, black tie, etc.), or they may tell you to dress for comfort. But unless you know the audience well (and even if you don’t), be careful how you turn up and dress appropriately.
Being smartly dressed communicates confidence, puts a spring in your step, and cements your credibility — all without you saying a word.
Now, imagine this:
You’re clad in an attire that screams ‘leader’, ‘expert’, or ‘high-flyer’ and standing in front of the audience. You pause so that they see you in your glory. Then, you look around with a warm smile before saying in a loud, friendly tone, ‘Good morning!’.
How’s that for a great first impression?
2) Speak the part and engage
Your nonverbal behaviours attitudes and behaviours can boost your credibility or, if they are misaligned with your verbal communication, cause the audience to distrust you.
Nevertheless, no matter how skilled you are in your nonverbal knowledge and application, you must know how to translate your knowledge into relevant, relatable information your audience needs. So, communicate effectively with the three beacons of simplicity, brevity, and clarity to delight your audience.
Persuasive speaking is achieved with patience and discipline. Use tools like simple language, sentence variation, and rhetorical elements (e.g. repetition, the rule of threes, and exaggeration). Analogies and metaphors (to draw correlations between two ideas) also make a memorable first impression and cause your content to be ‘sticky’.
Finally, remember to include anecdotes and share your stories. When I wove in anecdotes early in my programme for the financial organisation, I saw even the unimpressed participants pay attention and lean forward. Others laughed and became highly participative.
Use your verbal dynamics to amplify your influence.
Conclusion
The mistake you should avoid is to think that the audience’s first impression is fleeting.
On the contrary, a good first impression will earn you attention currency throughout your speech or presentation, accommodate your mistakes, and win over the audience. The opposite is also true.
Therefore, be bold and hook the audience with the two simple, powerful recommendations highlighted in this article.
Now, go nail that first impression.
Over to you:
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N.B: First image is courtesy of Budi Yanto via Pixabay. Second image is courtesy of Peggy and Marco Lachmann-Anke via Pixabay. Last image is courtesy of Gerd Altmann via Pixabay.