The first-time experiences are always critical in any situation. In the aspect of delivering a speech or a presentation, creating an impressive outcome is as equally important as nailing the objectives. If it is your very first time to ever conduct a presentation in your company, making a good first impression should be a primary goal.

‘The first impressions last’ according to cliché, but do they really? As a presenter, you might want to learn how to leave a good lasting impression to your audience. This you will understand as you progress through the article.

First Impression Physical Attributes

It does not take a quick conversation to create an impression. Your profile alone is already a personal introduction to your audience. In a corporate setting, you must know how to project yourself to your listeners during a presentation. When called for to conduct as a presenter, always look your best. Your audience can already tell by your look if you will impress them or not. This means being pleasant-looking and generally appealing through your attire, your make-up, posture, gestures, facial expression, and perceived confidence.

Remember that your perceived personality is also judged by your physical attributes and how you present yourself to the people. Say, you dress sloppily when you are actually working in a high-end company. People will presume that you have a lousy personality. However, if you are dressed up in ideal office attire, you will be viewed as smart and confident.

Now, in doing a presentation, correct body language and posture are very essential so that your audience will have a perceived idea even at the onset of the speech that you are oozing with confidence. You should always wear a smile on the face even as you talk to create a vibrant and positive atmosphere and balance too much seriousness.

Lasting Impression Qualities

Apart from your personal profile, there are other attributes you must possess in order to get that good first impression in a presentation. A very important element is your conversational or speaking ability. Maintaining eye contact as you speak is a sign of a good conversationalist.

Take control of your voice, too. It should just be audible enough for everyone to hear you. But there should be a tone of persuasiveness and control in your voice tone. Being spontaneous means having minimized fillers and delivering smooth utterances with minimal unnecessary pausing. It also reveals a good flow of thinking.

Having a good sense of humor is sure to impress your listeners. A presenter with a good sense of humor gathers interested listeners. Creativity in your presentation matters, too. The resourceful and creative choice of visual materials used and the way these are demonstrated and illustrated create an impact on your overall presentation. For a good first impression to really last even in your future presentations, consistency in your delivery and confidence are two major essentials you must greatly consider.

What Leads to a Negative Impression

A first impression may not be good and positive all the time. Especially when it is your first-ever presentation, you have to get a good impression from your audience. Though people’s views and perceptions of you may change eventually, good first impressions can never be played back and altered.

Obviously, an unprepared presenter is guaranteed never to create a nice impression even at the onset. An ineffective speaker barely creates an impact, too. Lack of conviction and low self-confidence is sure to leave a negative lasting impression. When your audience can sense that you seem unsure of what you are talking about, you will not be deemed believable unless you decide to improve and show them a better performance in your next few presentations. Moreover, a presenter who is not that opinionated will not gain audience impact.

A good first impression is always a nice compliment. But to leave a good lasting impression entails consistency in what you do. If you failed your audience once, you may have a chance to recover in the future. Yet, a slow improvement of your presentation skills will not make a good impact of you as a presenter. Do remember this: Always be yourself.