Be it a simple meeting in yourorganization about trivial matters, or be it a crucial meet over a heavy finance project the impression you create, will draw your partners and clients to you again and again. Whether you need to give up or whether you need to give a simple PowerPoint presentation about a particular idea, or whether you are the lead in a project, the way you present yourself, your skills in rationalizing and logical approach will make your name. It is of common notion that, the information which are potentially threatening or negative get special attention.
Although people naturally perceives other people with whom he interacts, more positively than negatively, the positivity bias and the negativity effect that highlights the unique qualities of a person,work together informing the overall impression of a person.And it is often found that in concluding the overall impression of a person, negative information is always weighed more heavily. Negative information is found to attract a person more, and hence it affects the impression much more than a positive trait. However negative information does not mean a negative trait in a person, but it means the units of information that distinctly distinguish a person from another.But most often it is found that distinct traits attract more attention initially, and this often leads us to ignore people.But people usually act in an acceptable and good way to each other.There are optimistic people who tend to display a stronger attention bias, for the entire positive stimulus in the environment corresponding to the negative stimulus and when they form an overall impression those bring forth more positivity bias.
But it is commonly believed that the first impression which people forms of you is comparatively much more significant. The first impression has an enduring impact in the formation of the impression of yours. This belief can be supported by many empirical researches by the organisational psychologists and the social psychologists.The observers who attribute various reasons for the behaviour of others, and form an impression of them, always put more weight to the data that they receive early in the sequence than to the information received later in the sequence. All because of the primacy effect!This primacy effect is of common occurrence in industrial sector as well as mundane activities. Careful management and manipulation of the information received initially can effectively influence individuals to form, manipulate and maintain particular impression of another. Primacy effect occurs even in those situations where the later information is found to be inconsistent or contradictory with the prior one.
Primacy effect occurs due to a number of reasons. One of the reasons can be explained as, the first information about a person, situation or subject that creates an initial impressionstrongly governs the impact on the future interpretation of the latter data.This happens in such a manner that it makes it persistent with the first.Another explanation could be that we generally pay close and careful attention to the first units of information we get about the other person, but we usually pay less attention to the latter additional information. It is needless to say that any random person would consider the first incoming units of information, grossly sufficient enough before making a judgement. However this is not to say that we do not interpret the latter information differently, but we just use it less than the first. And here also the prime assumption behind this is,the explanation that whatever information we receivefirst, has the greatest impact on our impressions.
Primacy effect is of common occurrence but it is often found that instead of the primacy effect, its opposite occurs.That is attributed the name of recency effect. Recency effect hints to those conditions or situations where individuals pick up the most recent information that they have acquired. Here the information which is received instantly at that point of time has the greatest and the strongest influence, upon the overall impression formation. But in situations where you are presenting something before a board of people, clients and organizers primacy effect is prominent. Recency effect is less likely to occur in such a situation because it mostly occurs where some amount of time has passed after the individual has received the first information or the person has forgotten his first impression. It might also take place in situations where individual judges the features of a person like his attitude, mood etc. that changes over the time.
Test of reasoning is for the assessment ofthose candidates who have applied for a certain post in the organization that requires strong reasoning skills in taking firm judgements. Reasoning skills are present in different degrees in different individuals.It is due to the sound straining system made by the organizational psychologists, the questionnaires and problems of the test, which efficiently find out the best fit for the post. Reasoning skills are required in various jobs in our day to day life. But in industrial sectors, in jobs, where you are required to decide between two equally sound alternatives, there is a high demand of a person with sound reasoning skills. A person, who will effectively rule out any minor difference between the two options and skilfully choose what is best for the organization, is the universal desire of every organization.A person with high reasoning skills is thus chosen to put in the administrative panel, so that he can take calculated conclusions, structure problems and take out effective solutions that will eventually do the company’s good.
Hence, it is the motto of every candidate to form an effective impact from the very day of interview. So when you are delivering your speech orexplaining a presentation, you need to be very careful about the impression you form. Impression formation is not only significant in such presentations but also while you are dealing with your clients. A person, who can reason well when bombarded with tough problems, usually is capable of making a good impression.
I am Bhagwati Suthar, Founder of Jobiba & TezLife.com. I am a Blogger, Affiliate Marketer and a Digital Marketer from Udaipur, India. At JobibaBlog, We share articles about Blogging, Marketing & Advertising, Business and Tech Tips.
