The Seven-Second Advantage

You're at a business conference and you turn toward the stranger standing next to you. He turns to face you and in that instant your brain makes a thousand computations. Is he someone to approach or to avoid? Should you flee or be friendly? Will he harm you or help you?

In about seven seconds you've already decided whether you like the person or not. Sure, your opinion may change once you get to know him better, but that first impression will linger for a long time.

Don’t forget that while you're consciously and unconsciously evaluating him, he's making the same kind of instantaneous judgments about you.

In business interactions, first impressions are critical. Once someone mentally labels you as "likeable" or "unlikeable," everything else you do will be viewed through that filter. If someone likes you, she'll look for the best in you. If she doesn't like you or mistrusts you, she'll suspect devious motives behind all your actions.

While you can't stop people from making snap decisions—the human brain is hardwired in this way as a prehistoric survival mechanism—you can learn how to make those decisions work in your favour.

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