Then, there are the more nuanced set of errors, where how you made them feel becomes a very helpful way for you to think through the more subtle points of first impressions.įor example, most people don’t like it when someone else one-ups their vacation story to the lake by pointing out that they flew to Hawaii, hijacks a back-and-forth dialogue and turns it into conversational keep-away, acts like a know-it-all under the banner of “being helpful”, or just commits too many word crimes. But if you’re making these mistakes, a quote isn’t the antidote. Lingering first impressions: With first impressions, there are many unambiguous ways you could leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth, perhaps by forgetting names constantly, interrupting too often mid sentences, or glancing frequently at the phone. (You could also read or listen to Never Split the Difference by former FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss for even more nuance) All these behaviors tend to be remembered favorably, which is a tailwind down the road.īut first impressions can go differently. For example: being prepared, asking questions about them and theirs, remembering and using names, giving genuine compliments, being generous in conversation, and avoiding reflexive pessimism, etc. Lasting first impressions: There are many ways you can genuinely make someone else feel good about themselves, thus making a lasting impression. Perhaps the best example of how you made them feel comes from first impressions and their downstream implications, where a good first impression lasts, and a bad one takes bleach and an open flame to witch away. First Impressions and Feelings That Last.or Linger

So you should keep in mind the long-term implications of how you made them feel because, this way, you won’t be constantly playing from behind. What’s more, the feelings you elicit in others last-or linger-surprisingly long. What matters most in your daily interactions isn’t so much the specific actions you take or the words you say that people remember most, but how someone was made to feel: listened to or ignored, included or left out, amused or exhausted, or big instead of small.

Regardless of who (all) might have penned it, it’s a gem. For now, Google’s tailwind seems to favor Maya Angelou’s strong brand over the competition, so let’s run with this. This quote is often attributed to famous poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, but like many quotes or ancient wisdom, the origin story is debatable. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Quote from maya angelou