Within seconds, others make their first impression of you, and this image remains in their minds and builds their way of dealing with you, and people focus during the first interviews - whether in a professional or social context - on making a good impression to pave the way for you to build successful relationships.

But sometimes things do not go well, and circumstances beyond the person’s control cause him to form a negative first impression, or he feels tense and pressured because he realizes the importance of the first meeting, and this affects the way he talks with others or behaves in front of them and makes it difficult for him to express himself in a way It is real, and leaves a bad impression and a false perception of it. Can this perception be changed?

More important than the truth

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology indicated that first impressions have a very high impact, and people give them more value than the actual facts they already know about the person.

And it takes people to build their first impression only a few seconds, or less, as studies indicate that during the first seven seconds only people will form a strong impression of who you are, and other research suggests that it may not be more than a tenth of a second to begin to determine whether you Someone who is trustworthy or not, and some other personality.
One of the reasons why it is so difficult to change other people's impression of you is a psychological phenomenon called “basic attribution error”.

Difficult but not impossible

Harvard Business Review points out that one of the reasons why it is so difficult to change other people's impression of you is a psychological phenomenon called "fundamental attribution error", which means people tend to believe that other people's behavior reflects their inner reality and foundation. While when explaining their personal behavior, they attribute their behavior to circumstantial factors beyond their control.

You may be in a bad psychological state, or suffer from a circumstance, but others are less likely to consider that there are external circumstances affecting you, and they tend to assume that your behavior now is your reality, which makes overcoming their negative perception difficult, but not impossible.

Here are some ways to help you change how others think of you:

Remember it's just the beginning

If you think a little, you will find that you have formed first impressions of people you have met in your life, and over time those impressions have partially or even completely changed.

Do not consider that the impressions of others are your only chance for success or failure, but you can consider it a mental image that forms and develops through your interactions, remember how your impressions of others have changed, and make sure that you can also change the perception of others about you and show the truth that you were unable to show the first time.

Looking forward to more meetings!

A Harvard study revealed that changing other people's bad impression of you requires 8 positive interactions or encounters with them, you just need perseverance.

And it's the small interactions that build and increase trust more than just one encounter - even if it's impressive - so focus on demonstrating your value in subsequent interactions over time.

Ask for another chance

You can simply ask the other person to give you another chance to correct their first impression of you. Honesty and honesty help reduce misunderstanding and reformulate the situation. If your behavior led to the wrong impression, you can admit it and apologize or explain your reasons for your action if possible.

surprise them

Others don't tend to reevaluate their beliefs for no apparent reason, so you need to surprise them by acting against their impression, and don't expect to change their perceptions with some subtle gesture, you need to have the audacity to turn their idea of ​​you around.

For example, if your colleagues get the first impression that you are an introvert and don't talk much, it will not be enough to engage them with one talk to change their idea, but you need to go out and create conversations with them to showcase your speaking and communication skills.
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Others don't tend to reevaluate their beliefs for no apparent reason, so you need to surprise them by acting against their impression.

get closer

If you encounter a confusing or embarrassing situation while getting to know someone, you may feel like avoiding them, but this won't change their impression, and may even reinforce their misconception about you, because they haven't received any new input about your personality.

So you need to push yourself beyond the limits of your comfort, and try to contact him and get to know him better.

ask for help

“Seeking advice is among the most effective ways to influence others,” Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Business, told Forbes.

He cited one study in which researchers asked participants to negotiate business deals, and when sellers asked buyers to give them advice on how to achieve their goals, 42 percent were able to reach agreements in the best interest of both parties.

If you feel that you have not made a positive impression, try to ask the other person for advice about anything, and this allows you to create a new interaction in which you can make a better impression than the first time.

Let others guide you

Sometimes it is difficult to know exactly what caused others to misunderstand you, and to find out, you can ask them indirectly.

For example, you can ask your boss or a colleague for ideas on how to improve your work performance and relationships at work. He may tell you what you should focus on, such as the need to listen carefully and not interrupt, or the importance of being present at set times, and from his speech you can identify your behaviors that need to be modified .

Realize that you can't please everyone

Despite your attempts, some people may not make a positive impression of you, and it may not be about anything you said or did, but rather about personal preferences or other ideas beyond your control, so in some cases it is best to stay away and focus on who you can deal with and strengthen your relationship with.