Amy Cuddy is a social psychologist, a professor at Harvard Business School, and the author of Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges. And while Inc. shares Cuddy’s 10 Ways to Make a Great First Impression to help readers who are forming business relationships, any high school student who adopted and used these techniques would make better first impressions on just about anybody that they meet.
There are some skills that, while valuable to anyone, are actually secret weapons for successful teenagers. A teen who can confidently meet and carry on an interesting conversation with an adult is a student who will impress counselors, teachers, and college reps.
As the article points out, first impressions have to be backed up with substance if you plan on interacting with this person on a regular basis. But creating a great first impression is like getting a head start in the race.