First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You

This book delivered just what I was looking for. I wanted a systematic way to understand what goes into peoples' initial judgments of others. I wanted it to be substantive and based on research but not too dry or boring of a read. I definitely found that here. Additionally, Demarais and White really bring the material to life - I could easily identify many of the examples they used with situations I encounter in my life. The research they cite is fascinating and makes me feel even more inclined to try out some of the things they advise. I think this is a very well-written and intelligent book on a topic that is usually treated in an insultingly simple-minded manner. I very highly recommend this book! Update: I've now purchased this book for my Kindle as well. In response to a previous reviewer's comments, the bugs have all been removed from the Kindle version and the formatting is great.

Groundbreaking perspectives are explored and relevant workbooks. Best of all, this book doesn't attempt to pressure or ridicule you into being heavily social. You can choose how you want to approach socializing. Their is no perfect method, simply be attentive, responsive, and socially generous. My favorite quote: "Many of the behaviors that seem like your 'nature' actually were learned at some point in your life, in reaction to events and people around you. You had to teach yourself those ways of interacting and responding. Personal development means learning different ways of being based on informed choices, not just a reaction to situations. (Pg. 199)"

This book should be required reading for every college student who is interested in building a successful career. Even if you intend to bury yourself in a lab somewhere doing intensive research, there will come a time when you have to surface and convince somebody to pay for it. In other words, everyone, at some point or the other will encounter situations in which creating superior impressions of you as an individual will be crucial to your career. It may not be welcome news to you, but I would guess that the overwhelming majority of people make up their minds about whether they will like or dislike you, whether you merit further interest or not, and, finally, whether you are a person "worth" (define that word any way you wish) knowing or the opposite--within just a very few minutes of meeting you. Furthermore, during the rest of the time they spend with you at the first meeting, their concentration is focused on finding evidence about your speech, background, habits, body language, and so on that reinforces that first impression. And you who are reading this are probably guilty of that practice as well. How many times have you met someone who turned you on or off very quickly, but circumstances are such you cannot too quickly depart the scene. You may talk and some of what the person says may be of interest. But if you didn't like him from the start, the next day you will likely have little to no knowledge of what you discussed with him. This book helps you to gain control of the elements that others use about you to form that first impression. It's practical in that the suggestions are concrete, make sense, and can benefit everyone who reads the book. Buy it, read it, study it, and put it into practice!!

This book mainly teaches you how to be more approachable, ie how to be the one random people will ask for directions. I'm already that person. I wanted the opposite of this book. Why do people who don't know me think they can walk right up to me and have a pleasant and possibly quite meaningful conversation?! Ok so I don't really mind that, but I was hoping for something more along the lines of how to carry myself such that I demand more respect. I'm a young petite female, and I work in an older male dominated industry. I actually don't have too much trouble getting respect from my peers, but when I go out socially with people my own age it's a different (and more annoying) story. If you're looking for a book that will teach you how to appear friendlier, this is it. If you want to appear less friendly, let's join forces.

First Impressions is an excellent work on the subtleties of interpersonal interaction. It spells out in clear detail just what kind of behaviors will improve one's image as well as some things to avoid. Some of this may seem obvious, but if you think about your daily interactions with people, you come across some of the no-no's with too much regularity. It is a great refresher for some of the things we all should know but often neglect. The world would be a much better place if everyone read this book. Not only do the authors show real-life examples from their business experience, but they back up their suggestions with ample scientific evidence to support their approach. It has already helped me extensively at work as well as at home. These simple techniques also work extremely well with children for getting them to pay attention and cooperate. To call this a dating guide would be completely unfair. There are general things here for all.

Ever walked away from a first encounter with a vaguely uneasy feeling, as if something went wrong but you don't know what? I have. And reading First Impressions gave me a good idea what may have gone wrong during those first meetings. I meet new people all the time in my line of work, and I noticed a difference right away when I started applying some of the principles I learned in First Impressions. My first meetings went a little smoother, and I found myself using the principles for second and third meetings also, to get them off on the right foot. Gave me some extra polish - which was an unexpected bonus. Worth a read for anyone wanting to make a good First Impression.

I came across the book listening to a podcast .. I'm currently working through it and have bought a copy for a friend who was interested. I'm working through this with a pencil with a view to going back through at the end and capturing the 'notes to self' as a reminder of things I might do more or less often when I'm in social situations. The suggestions nearly all fall into the common sense category, but while I'd like to think I 'know a lot of this' if I'm honest I find myself falling into some of he traps mentioned. There is short self assessments throughout the chapters and you would need to be a bit of a social superstar to be able to answer them all positively. I'm already trying to use some of the guidance .. and appraising people I meet, recognising some of the communications styles mentioned. It's been useful for me.

The information in this book sticks. I find myself in social situations that are a bit awkward and something from the book will come to mind, and I'll use it successfully to smooth the interaction. I'll be honest, I didn't put a ton of effort into "mastering" the skills. I'm an introvert, so I've spent a lot of time working on my social skills, and I read this book to find out what mistakes I might be making and where I could use improvement. Like I said, even without a lot of dedication, the information sticks, which is testament to the value of the book. I recommend it for anyone wanting to improve their people skills and check for things they might be doing wrong. The book can be a little dry at times, but that's not unusual for self-help, which isn't always fun but is usually helpful. Many of the examples are very real-world and familiar to almost anyone, which makes it really easy to understand the points. I read the book a chapter at a time rather than trying to devour it all at once, which gave me more time to absorb the information. This was especially helpful since I wasn't deliberately practicing - it allowed time for little ah ha moments to crop up naturally and give me an opportunity to try out the techniques in the book. And the techniques work. I found that the book illustrated a lot of good points without a lot of fluff. Just good, practical advice on how to make your life easier in the social sphere.

Amazing book, I received this book fro US it took like 2 weeks to be delivered. But I enjoy reading it.

enlightening.