The New Power of First Impressions
Start creating connections with others in under 1/10th of a second.
I was in Ottawa last week, in a room with over 1,500 municipal leaders from across the country. We were there to learn, share, and connect. During one of the breaks, something subtle but powerful kept happening.
As I chatted with different people—over coffee, in the hallways, at lunch—there was a common thread in what they said:
“You’re so easy to talk to.”
“You’ve got something about you—I don’t know what it is, but it draws people in.”
One person even said, “You have such a magnetic presence.”
And that’s what I'm always trying to teach:
→ It’s not about always having the right talking points, the longest list of degrees or even the beefed-up resume.
→ It’s about showing up in a way that’s undeniably you.
That’s presence.
And like it or not… presence speaks before you even say a word.
You may already know this from me, but it’s worth repeating:
It only takes 1/10 of a second to form a first impression.
That's the snap of a finger.
A blink. A glance.
That’s all it takes for someone to decide:
— if you’re confident
— if you’re trustworthy
— if they believe you belong in the room
No pressure, right? 😉
But here’s the upside:
Authentic presence isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being clear. Intentional. Aligned.
And when you get it right, you can use this new power of first impressions to get results:
When you connect with people, you create pathways for collaboration. Simply, people want to work with people they feel drawn to. Displaying your own inner confidence is the first way to start that connection.
Collaborations become seeds to new solutions. When you are memorable, people will remember your expertise, experience and offering when they need it. You will be top of the mind in a sea of your competition and that gives you the first chance to put your excellence forward.
Solutions don’t happen if you’re hiding. No matter what your venture or career, yo won’t create outcomes alone - you’ll need others. That means you can’t be invisible whether intentionally or unintentionally. It means you need to be crystal clear about what you offer, bring to the table and your perspective and be able to communicate it in such a way that is “sticky” in people’s minds. That calls on you to be bold! And if you’ve found your boldness fading lately, time to get some help to dust it off if you want to continue to create new connections, collaborations and solutions.
So let me challenge you:
→ Look in your closet. It's actually does start there. Does it create a first impression that reflects who you really are?
→ Think about your next meeting or event. Does your presence send the message you want to communicate? Does your appearance and non-verbal communication support that message?
→ Ask yourself honestly: Is how I’m showing up helping me move forward? Not sure? Ask yourself if you’ve gotten feedback about how you present yourself. Are you getting compliments? That’s feedback. Are you getting people pulling away from you? That’s also feedback.
It’s time to work on it.
Confidence leaves clues. Presence leaves an impression.
Make yours count.
If you need to know if working on your presence can help you get greater results, check here: >> https://hue.style/checkimagepresence
Until next time, keep shifting, keep growing, and keep showing up,
~ 𝕄ℂ𝔾