By Amith Prabhu
Do you remember your first day at your first job? Do you recall that first client meeting? Do you remember the first time you met that Editor who is became a friend for life? Do you remember your last job interview? What is the one common factor that played in all these scenarios? Well, in my humble opinion it is impressions. There is a saying that the first impression is the best impression.
I spent the last weekend in Goa and the more I visit this state the more I’m inclined to believe India has a great potential to become a more tolerant country learning from this tiny state. The impressions Goa creates in the mind are manifold and it is the collective will of the Goan people that has led to the state being a liberal place for thoughts and ideas to converge. The citizens of Goa are the best brand ambassadors for the state and help a visitor take back lasting memories.
Last week, I wrote about leaving a legacy. The first step to leaving legacies is creating the right impression that lasts. I began by asking questions that resonate and then wrote about the state I was in over the weekend to bring out the thought that we are what we make out of ourselves. Public Relations people have a role in creating lasting impressions for the brands and organisations they work on.
While legacies take a long time to be built, impressions are created every moment there is an interaction. Many good impressions lead to a better legacy. Not too many professionals care about creating lasting impressions because they feel they are secure in a job and will only need to create an impression within the environment they work in.
The reality is that, everyone is being noticed all the time and the collective impressions stands us in good stead when someone is hiring a team member or a consultancy. Therefore, it is our interest to continuously work towards building lasting impressions. How does one do that? It takes some effort but does not require overdoing. Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking are attributes that come from practice. Add to that a good body language, a smart sense of dressing and great style in grooming are critical. If we pay attention to these we are certainly on our way to creating a good impression. There on we need to focus on working on great campaigns and the work will speak for itself. Have you made plan to creating lasting impressions? There is never the perfect time. Start now. It is never too late.