What Does Your Handshake Say About You?
Like it or not, every day, with every interaction, you are creating an impression. Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “Is it the one that I want?”
Don’t let your personal brand happen by default! You are the director of your life and career. Be strategic and decide on the impression you want to make.
Start with the end in mind.
Here’s A Real-Life Example Of Impressions By Default:
When delivering a workshop I approach participants and introduce myself before the session starts. It gives me an opportunity to make a connection. When delivering my Executive Presence training I talk about impressions and handshakes during the workshop itself. While I don’t single out any one participant, I do talk about what I experience.
At the end of one of these workshops, one of the executives approached me to shake my hand again and said, “I didn’t realize I was being evaluated when I shook your hand before the session.”
I was a bit surprised. After all, we are absolutely evaluating each other all the time, consciously or unconsciously, on a lot less than a handshake.
Sally Hogshead, author of the book “FASCINATE: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation“, measured over 115,000 people to identify a scientific approach to personal branding. She says that because of our fractured attention span, we make judgments about others in just nine seconds.
Nine seconds!
Not only that, research shows that people weigh the first information they receive on a subject more heavily than the information they receive later. Especially when evaluating people.
It does not matter that your first impression represents only a (perhaps inaccurate) snapshot of who you are. People will still assume it is who you are, all the time, in every situation. Your initial impression serves as a filter for all future interactions.
Remember, there’s no “right” or “wrong” impression. There’s only the impression that is right for you to make.
Take Charge
Just deciding on the impression you want to deliver will influence the perception you create. Being thoughtful and strategic about the personal elements of your brand ensures the message you convey is consistent with the message you intend.
Ask yourself:
- What is the impression that I want to create when I meet someone?
- How will that influence the way I carry myself? The clothes that I wear? The words I use?
- What two or three things must I absolutely do to convey the impression I want?
Are you surprised by the nine-second attention span?
Align yourself with what matters most to you. Live your brand fully expressed with intention and purpose to play bigger!
Are you interested in having a conversation to explore how you can define your personal brand and accelerate your growth as a leader, individually or as a team? Send an e-mail to book a complimentary 30-minute consultation.
