Put Your Best Foot Forward: Make a Great Impression by Taking Control of How Others See You

First impressions are always difficult to shake. So why not help influence how others view you in the first place, thereby affecting the way they think of you in the long run? Put Your Best Foot Forward, by Jo-Ellan Dimitrius (who specializes in the meaning of appearance and behavior) and Mark Mazzarella (a trial lawyer), fully lays out a step-by-step program they call Impression Management, designed to do just that. Based on extensive individual interviews, literature reviews, and survey analyses, it begins by examining exactly how and why people make these initial assessments. It then explores the specific "qualities others find most important, and how each of the ways you paint a picture of your personality and values--appearance, body language, voice, communication style, the content of your speech, your actions, and environment--can be honed to project the best possible impression of who you are and how you are likely to think and act." Wisely, the authors never suggest compromising your integrity or surrendering your individuality. They instead recommend crucial but simple behavior such as choosing dark clothing to command authority, increasing "soft but sustained" eye contact, and avoiding "highbrow vocabulary and snobbish words." --Howard Rothman