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.

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.

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!!

While I much enjoyed the content (I'm about 3/4 of the way done reading it), I must say that the Kindle version of this book has major formatting errors that make it hard to understand at times. The problem is that frequently, a paragraph splits off in mid-sentence, and the remainder of the paragraph reappears a page or two later, with out-of-order material in between.Sometimes you can figure out where a given thought leaves off and picks up again. At other times these passages are so chopped up that you can't figure out what's going on.This isn't the fault of the basic Kindle format nor of Amazon. It's the publisher's fault. Somebody should have checked this e-version before the book was offered for sale. It's so bad that I'd ask for a refund if I could figure out how to get one...but unlike physical goods that are damaged, it's hard to negotiate a refund for an electronic download.I hope the print version is better organized.

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)"

Since I was young, I always struggled with the concept of "how I should act" when meeting new people. This book helped me realize that at times my behaviors can come off as pompous -- even though what I meant was to try to be interesting -- or dull/negative -- even though I was just trying to make small talk. The book is simple to follow and easy to read. The authors use real-life examples of common scenarios that people will find themselves in, and clearly show how people perceive certain behaviors, and certain tone/speeds of speech. You are able to answer a few questionnaires to find out which behaviors you can improve upon to make a better first impression. It helped me become aware of my not-so-helpful habits/behaviors and make conscious changes in how I approach people.