When you’re meeting new people it’s important to make a good first impression. But it’s not all about what you say. In fact your body language can give another person more clues about the type of person you are than the words you speak.

Many experts believe people make assessments of others within just a few seconds of observing their behavior – a practice often called ‘thin’ slicing. Most also agree that if you make a negative first impression, it can take a considerable amount of effort to recover.

One of the simplest and most effective methods to remember uses the acronym SOFTEN.

When you’re meeting new people it’s important to make a good first impression. But it’s not all about what you say. In fact your body language can give another person more clues about the type of person you are than the words you speak.

Many experts believe people make assessments of others within just a few seconds of observing their behavior – a practice often called ‘thin’ slicing. Most also agree that if you make a negative first impression, it can take a considerable amount of effort to recover.

 One of the simplest and most effective methods to remember uses the acronym SOFTEN.

So there’s a fellow standing next to me with available eyes and an open posture. Perhaps we’ve already smiled at each other, said hello, shaken hands, and introduced ourselves. Now we begin the kind of small talk you dread: from a cold start with a Them (as far as you know), with the goal of turning this stranger into an acquaintance. Here is where most people panic because they are unprepared to perform this act of human alchemy.

Luckily, there’s an easy enough formula to walk you through this process: Use the Anchor, Reveal, Encourage (ARE) framework.

Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed. In essence, it is polite conversation about unimportant things.

Im sure a lot of people use this word all the time and most of them even know what it means. Let's refine it a bit in this episode. Most people hear the term ‘sales pitch’ they imagine a room full of potential clients and a salesperson or sales team going through a presentation or a slideshow in front of them.