Brian Tracy breaks down how to build influence using ethos, pathos, and logos. Your appearance shapes credibility instantly, so control how you look and dress. People judge you in seconds, and clothing affects how seriously they take you.
Approximately 4 seconds.
Largely within 30 seconds of initial contact.
As much as 95%.
Making a great first impression is imperative to becoming an influential leader. Hello, I'm Brian Tracy, and today I want to talk to you about the importance of making a great first impression. The ancient Greeks spent a lot of time thinking and writing about the effect of one personality on another. They broke down the process of communication into three parts, which they called ethos, pathos, and logos. The ethos of communication is defined as the ethical part. This revolves around the person that you really are and more important, the person you are perceived to be. If you're in sales or business, the way that you are perceived by someone, which will largely determine the influence you have over him or her, will, will be strongly affected by your level of credibility, your ethos. In the areas of personal credibility, the rule is that everything counts. Everything you do or don't do either adds up or takes away from your credibility and your capability to influence someone else. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, in essence, that what you are shouts at me so loudly that I cannot hear a word that you are saying. Ethos, or your authority and credibility is very important. Perhaps the simplest example of the application of this rule that everything counts involves your image or appearance. You've heard it said that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. The fact is that when you first meet a person, he makes a judgment about you in approximately four seconds, and his judgment is finalized largely within 30 seconds of the initial contact. In a survey of the members of the American Personnel Consultants, those men and women who are responsible for hiring people for large companies generally agree that they made their decision to hire or not to hire a person within 30 seconds of the first meeting. Everything contributing to the way you look on the outside is important. If it's not helping you, it's hurting you. While you cannot control your physical features, you have total control over your dress and grooming. In fact, we generally assume that a person consciously and deliberately makes a personal statement about himself with every part of their appearance that he can affect in any way. Your clothes are responsible for as much as 95% of the first impression that you you make on someone because in most instances your clothes cover 95% of your body. Your grooming, your hairstyle, and the other ways that you can determine your appearance from the neck up, also exert an inordinate influence on the way that you are perceived on your ethos with someone else. Your accessories, such as your purse or briefcase, watch, tie, rings, pens, and other elements all make a statement that will or will not help you and put you in a position to influence someone else. Now, here are two things that you can do immediately to put these ideas into action. First, take complete control over every detail of your personal appearance and grooming. Resolve to look like a powerful, influential person in all your business activities. Second, study fashion and proper dress so that you know exactly what to wear and in what combination. Read a book, take a seminar, or even hire an image consultant. Small changes in your appearance can change your life. Before we wrap up, I'd like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers. It is this Making a great first impression is imperative to becoming an influential leader. Now, I'd love to hear from you. So my question today is what other aspects do you feel that help you to make a good first impression? Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now. If you enjoyed this video and feel it was valuable in teaching you to make a good first impression, subscribe to my channel like this video and share this video with your friends or anyone else who you feel might benefit from this information.
