‘Among the positive and negative Primacy Effect factors that, in my experience, interviewers, recruitment specialists and headhunters as well as clients have identified are set out in the list below.
Many of these points are so obvious that they seem hardly worth mentioning. Indeed, one critic of a previous book of mine on personal impact matters wrote that he did not need Michael Shea to tell him to dry his palms and brush the dandruff from his shoulders before an interview.
He was wrong.
Many people do need just that (I met my journalist critic much later. He was a walking health hazard and worked from home since colleagues could not stand working beside him)’.
This is a passage from the book,
The Primacy Effect by Michael Shea.
This positive and negative factors are:
(10) POSITIVE………………..(1)NEGATIVE
Speaks clearly………………………..Mutters
Stands tall…………………………….Slouches
Confident……………………………..Diffident
Firm handshake……………………Wet handshake
Good eyelock………………………..Shifty-eyed. Never looked at us
Motivated…………………………….Didn’t know what he/she wanted
Took the lead……………………….Always had to be prompted
Well groomed………………………Scruffy
Intelligently curious……………..Disinterested
Well dressed………………………..Carelessly dressed
Agreeable……………………………Surly
I once
asked a client to rate himself on the list of factors on a 10-1 scale. That is, the words in the left column would be a 10 rating. The word on the right a 1 rating. For the
Speaks clearly vs
Mutters factor my
client gave himself an (8). His boss gave him a (4). This was a surprise to my client.
Particularly on entry to a room or a video meeting the factors are particularly important.
Facial expression is extremely important.
As
Eric Kandel maintains in his excellent book,
The Age of Insight.
‘Faces are the most informative stimuli we ever perceive: Even a split second glimpse of a person’s face tells us their identity, sex, mood, age, mood, age, race and direction of attention.
Own the Conversation
Let me suggest you do this in the next seven days
- Rate yourself on the factors using the 10-1 rating system. (I understand in these COVID-19 times your rating your handshake may be difficult).
- Give the factors to a trusted person – without letting them see your rating – and ask them to rate you on the factors.
- Compare yours and the trusted person’s ratings.
- If there is a discrepancy in ratings, seek to understand the reason by discussing the rating with the person.
- If appropriate, start changing your behaviour, dress etc, so you’re perceived, as you want to be perceived.
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p.s. here is a post with advice on creating presentations from luminary American film director and producer
David Fincher
