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Greetings and First Impressions:
How are you today? - Creating a positive first impression through greetings.
Respond to and give greetings with positive attitude and enthusiasm, regardless of how you feel. When someone asks, “Hello there, how are you?”, they may not really want to know how you are. More likely is one or all of the following:
- Checking you out,
- Being polite,
- Identifying how you feel towards them,
- Determining whether or not you’re up for a conversation,
- Determining whether or not you’re worth connecting to,
- Creating a space for a conversation.
Our response will very often determine the flow of the ensuing conversation. And of course, it is often not what we say, but the way we say it. It is perfectly acceptable to respond with something non-committal, such as “I’m fine thank you.”, but always remember it is best to end with a question to keep the conversation space open, “I’m fine thank you, how are you?” Check that your body language is showing attention and presenting as open, by making eye contact, turning your body towards the speaker, smiling, and using an enthusiastic and pleasant vocal tone.
A positive image is created and built through our interactions with others. Remember that first impressions DO count. We should aim to project a positive image at all times, especially when greeting people (regardless of how we really feel).
So, if you want to create a positive image, always respond to, and give greetings with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. You will know when someone is genuinely interested in your health and state of well-being, so save that for when you get to know them better.
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