Second First Impression

Second First Impression

For this assignment, I will provide an account of how I developed my first impression of a previous manager. Accordingly, I was at work and had an issue with an escalation call and a few questions about it. I approached my manager with these questions, but his attitude and demeanour towards me were unpleasant. I was still new in the company, so this was my first interaction with him. I wondered what caused the bad attitude and unprofessional behavior. From his irritated and impatient tone with me, his non-verbal cues were obvious,  like not paying attention while I was talking and only looking at his phone (Anovick, 2014). Based on this interaction, he did not measure up to my initial beliefs of a good manager (Social Science LibreTexts,  2020). Since the escalation call needed immediate attention, I debated whether to move above him and ask for help from another manager. Luckily, a different manager walked in, intervened, and assisted in resolving the issue. Consequently, my first impression of my manager was not good. Nevertheless, in our next interaction, things were completely different. The manager apologized for his previous conduct and explained that he had had a very disturbing call and a stressful day, hence his behavior. This interaction changed my view, as did my impression of him.

My perception of my manager changed when he apologized and acknowledged that he had no right to vent his frustrations on others, even if he was having a rough day. He promised to also work on his stress management skills to avoid repetition of such conduct. Hearing his genuine apology made me realize that his attitude and behavior were not personal but because of something he was dealing with. Furthermore, even though the behavior was unprofessional, I am aware that humans make mistakes and that it is acceptable as long as we own up to them and learn from them. Since then, our interactions remained pleasant.

References

Anovick, P. (2014). Six strategies for effective listening. LinkedIn. Accessed from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140805121004-5815444-six-strategies-for-effective-listening

Social Science LibreTexts. (2020) Social science 3.1: Communication and perception. LibreTextsSOCIALSCIENCE. Accessed from: https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Courses/College_of_the_Canyons/COMS_100%3A_Process_of_Communication_(Stokes-Rice)/3%3A_Perceiving_and_Understanding/3.1%3A_Communication_and_Perception

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Second First Impression

Think back to the expression from the Week 1 introduction, “… you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Throughout your everyday life, you develop impressions of or feelings about others and use your perception or view of others to determine who they are. In turn, whether you are simply having a conversation or presenting an essay or a proposal, others are developing impressions of you and using their perception to determine who you are. While you only have one chance to make a “first” impression, impressions can change over time with more information and possibly a change in perception.

For example, you might encounter a person who seems cold or aloof upon your first meeting. After subsequent meetings, you realize this person is very kind and thoughtful. How might your perception and, ultimately, your impression of this person change based on this change in their behavior? What might this person have perceived differently that changed their impression of you and compelled them to show their kind and thoughtful side? What you might perceive from this is that the behavior you identified as cold and aloof might simply be a cautious behavior this person exhibits until they becomes better acquainted with others.

In this Assignment, you explore the power of perception when making first impressions and how nonverbal communication influences perception and the impressions you develop about others.

Think of a time when you met someone and how your first impression of them (good or bad) changed as you got to know them. Write a 250- to 500-word paper addressing the following:

Describe your initial meeting with this person, how you developed your first impression, and why. Be specific; describe the setting where you met them, what they were wearing, how they sounded, looked, smelled, or anything that can help the reader picture your initial encounter with this person. Remember that nonverbal communication affects perception!
Describe why your perception of them changed. Was there a specific moment when you “knew” your perception of them had changed, or did it happen over time? What specific behaviors about them changed your mind? How do you see them differently now? How do you handle the things about them that have not changed (like their fashion sense, perhaps, or the way they speak, etc.)?
Include at least two terms, tips, or strategies found in this week’s resources. Place these in bold.

Resources

Walden Writing Center. (2021). Undergraduate courses: Undergraduate papers with advice. Links to an external site. (APA7).

Indiana State University Press Sites. (n.d.). 5.5: Stages of listening. Links to an external site. In Department of Communication, Indiana State University (Eds.). Introduction to public communication. http://kell.indstate.edu/public-comm-intro/chapter/5-5-stages-of-listening/

Schilling, D. (2012, November 9). 10 steps to effective listening Links to an external site. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/11/09/10-steps-to-effective-listening/?sh=12f1dae93891

Anovick, P. (2014, August 5). Six strategies for effective listening: Links to an external site. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140805121004-5815444-six-strategies-for-effective-listening

Social Science LibreTexts. (2020, September 24). Social science 3.1: Communication and perceptionLinks to an external site. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Courses/College_of_the_Canyons/COMS_100%3A_Process_of_Communication_(Stokes-Rice)/3%3A_Perceiving_and_Understanding/3.1%3A_Communication_and_Perception

Walden Writing Center. (2021). Undergraduate courses: Undergraduate paper with advice. Links to an external site. (APA 7). https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general

COMMpadres Media. (2016, November 3). Audience analysis links to an external site.[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfue7l-WuJ4