96 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The science of first dates, June 4, 2004
This review is from: First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You (Hardcover)
DeMarais and White have managed to find an untouched corner of the self-help world -- and a valuable one at that. As they point out, research shows that first impressions last a long time. And as we meet people, we create first impressions on dates, business meetings and job interviews.
Writing in accessible self-help style, the authors identify the "seven fundamentals of first impressions." These seven chapters make up the meat of the book. The authors discuss specific ways to show interest: body language, eye contact, name usage.
For instance, the chapter "Enough about me" encourages readers to show interest in their conversational partners.
The authors hold our interest -- and communicate effectively -- with examples and dialogues. Some of the advice seems fairly obvious (maintain eye contact, avoid closed-end questions) but much is new and useful (live vs. faux listening).
At the end of each chapter, the author not only list positive behaviors (e.g., make eye contact) but also show what each behavior communicates (e.g., "interested, socially aware"). They then list miscommunication behaviors in a clever chart form: "If you do this ("listen inactively") you may think you seem ... (neutral) but you may seem ... (uninterested).
I found the "you may think you seem" a little off-putting. Maybe we engage in these behaviors automatically without realizing how we seem! Or maybe these behaviors demonstrate an aspect of our personality.
However, that's a small quibble, easy to ignore.
The section on topics was one of the fun ones, although perhaps useful only in a social, i.e., dating, context. Don't go too deep into your own favorite topic, they say. Put some topics on the table and keep going.
I must say I love talking to people about their specialties. That's the writer/journalist in me! The authors describe "Ray," who delivered a monologue on washing machines, to his bored seatmate on an airplane flight. They suggest saying, "That's interesting. I don't know much about washing machines, but I do know about film..."
I must admit I'd have interrogated the poor man about his field, hoping to learn something to help with my own laundry day. I once sat next to a veterinarian on a long, dreary plane ride, and learned a lot of useful information about cats. Now that I have a dog...
I resonated to the 4 "wrong" styles of conversation: story telling, lecturing, sermonizing and telling jokes. I do all of those, though hopefully not on a first meeting!
The authors offer some tips for corrective action, which can be summed up as enhanced self-awareness. However, their strengths lie not in making change, but in identifying varieties of violations.
Although the authors briefly discuss "heavy" topics, they might have gone more deeply into reasons for varying degrees of disclosure. For instance, most people ask casually, "Do you have children? Brothers and sisters?" All seemingly innocent questions -- but I know someone whose only daughter died, someone whose father disappeared and others who have legitimate reasons for avoiding those topics. We could use some tips for maintaining a relationship along with our privacy.
Additionally, as a career coach, I wish the authors had discussed culture and gender differences that can create misunderstanding -- the material Deborah Tannen handles so well. They do include informative research highlights but I'd have liked to see more detailed suggestions in the main text. For instance, in many subcultures, men are given more leeway to talk about themselves and to use a lecturing style.
And, as Tannen says, a New Yorker interrupts while a southerner (especially a southern woman) will be trained to be more polite and reticent. When you're meeting a new person in a new field, company, or region, you need to pick up cues to clarify what's considered appropriate behavior.
Finally, the authors could have used their corporate business experience to identify unique elements of business and career first impressions. Certain behaviors create good first impressions during job interviews, sales meetings and first days on the job.
The last two chapters were extremely valuable and could have been expanded: How to overcome a bad first impression and How to cut others some slack, so you won't let a bad first impression deny you a relationship. I'd have liked to see an additional chapter on the second, third and fourth meetings, which often can be trickier than the first. By setting up a second meeting (especially in a dating context) you've indicated a willingness to proceed. Now what?
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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Useful observations about a topic I had not thought about, September 9, 2004
This review is from: First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You (Hardcover)
You may be looking for a new job and are facing the unnerving prospect of numerous interviews. Perhaps you are looking for a soul mate. Or maybe you have a meeting with an important new client. Like it or not, in each of these cases the first impression you give to others will go a long way towards determining whether you will succeed or fail in what it is you are trying to accomplish.
"First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You" is not the sort of book I would generally read. But given the fact that I find myself in one of the above situations I thought it might be a useful read. Indeed it was! Ann Desmarais and Valerie White give the reader plenty of food for thought in this thought provoking and entertaining book. The heart and soul of this book are what the authors describe as "The Seven Fundamentals of a First Impression." How accessable am I? Am I willing to open myself up to the other person? Do I show genuine interest in what the other person has to say or is the conversation all about me? Can I add interesting topics to the conversation? Do others percieve me as distant and withdrawn or do they find interaction with me interesting and engaging? These are just a few of the fascinating questions discussed here. In addition, there are a series of extremely useful exercises designed to help the reader see where they stack up on these issues.
At the end of the day, just about everyone regardless of their station in life could glean some useful information from "First Impressions". Whether the lessons learned here assists you in making that better first impression yourself, or perhaps makes you a bit more forgiving when someone else stumbles and leaves a bad taste in your mouth, it should prove to be most helpful. A surprisingly good book. Highly recommended.
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Abosolutely a must read, June 9, 2004
This review is from: First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You (Hardcover)
No matter what your lot in life is if you want to hold your end in a conversation you need to read this book.Whether your at a party and having casual talk, having a business meeting or a first date even if you think you are a great talker this will help.
The book shows how to start a conversation all the way to the end it shows how body langauge affects peoples view of you along with other aspects and how they affect your conversation everything as the flow the topics you talk about and even how sex appeal has bearing on it.
At the end of each chapter there is a checklist that you can fill out to see what areas you may need to work on.
These methods seem pretty sensible and must work as the two ladies who have written this book have a consulating business observing people and how they handle conservation.This will be one of those books that you will keep handy on your bookshelf and refer back to again and again. I definitely recommend this book
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