Vanessa Van Edwards says the first five words of a conversation matter most. Instead of generic small talk, prepare a specific opening question to signal competence and authenticity, which helps introverts and anyone feeling under-qualified make a strong first impression.
So just talk about walking into a job that perhaps you may not know all the skills needed at that moment, but are confident that you can learn them quickly while at the same time not wanting to give off an air of inauthenticity.
I think there's kind of a side door into competence and confidence, which is planning. And this works really well for introverts as well as if you have that sort of imposter syndrome where you don't feel like you hit the skills perfectly. We often have this mistaken belief that we have to be perfect in every area of those skills. But actually, if we come in with a plan, specifically your first 5 words, if we can nail our first impression, it actually makes the entire meeting, the negotiation, the pitch much easier. So our first 5 words, having a plan for that. This is the most overlooked one. Our very first question. Oftentimes we give away, we come across as fake if we're like, how are ya? Or we have that sort of cheerful, isn't it beautiful outside? What's actually better is coming with a plan for a very specific question. Think about your first 5 words so that you can find windows into competence with a plan. If you have a blueprint for conversation, a blueprint for how your first impression is going to be, it sets you up for a very easy meeting.
