What’s your impression of first impressions?

Making a positive first impression on one’s first encounter matters a lot and could be the defining term for a relationship. For Sylvanus Osemeha, first impression sets the tone for a relationship with an individual: “I believe that with every new encounter, you are evaluated and the impression you give forms what the person thinks […]

Making a positive first impression on one’s first encounter matters a lot and could be the defining term for a relationship.
For Sylvanus Osemeha, first impression sets the tone for a relationship with an individual: “I believe that with every new encounter, you are evaluated and the impression you give forms what the person thinks of you at that moment, which can be nearly impossible to reverse, as that can become the view the person would continue to have of you. To this extent, first impression matters a lot to me, so I try to always create a positive and good impression in everything I do.”
Osemeha, a photographer, citing an example said: “Imagine someone going to a place to look for someone and on entering the place, you met people but failed to acknowledge their presence by greeting them. That alone can make them tag you as a snob or someone who doesn’t have courtesy. But imagine the opposite of this particular event; it would make them view you as a cheerful person who knows how to relate with others.”
Damian Nworgu holds a different view. To him first impression does not matter. The initial attitude of someone should not be a yardstick to evaluate or form an opinion of people. According to him, there are wrong moments when we meet people. You may meet someone who is in a bad mood because he/she is going through some kind of challenge. “That first meeting with the person may be wrong timing and their attitude at that moment should not form a general view of them because that is not who they are in reality,” said the student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa.
He added that: “Personally, I believe that you should get to know a person in depth before you form a view of the person, you have to know the person one-on-one before you pass judgment and come to a conclusion on the person’s attitude or behaviour.”
Adaobi Okoye is in agreement with Nworgu, that people’s behaviours on first encounter should not be generalised. “It has become a normal thing for people to judge you on first meeting but I, as an individual don’t use that as a fast means to judge who you are.
“I believe people are to be studied and observed before you can really tell who they are and this can only be achieved when you get close to them. So I try to get to know someone first before I can define who they are,” said the 300 level student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.
Patricia Ugwuogu said: “I meet people every day, both parents and students, because of my job as a teacher and to me first impression matters depending on the situation.
“If a student approaches me courteously even amidst criticism, it tends to shape my view of that student. Sometimes, some students act stubbornly in school but when you get to know them personally, you would find out that the student is either experiencing home issues or peer influence and that the initial attitude is not who the child really is. So also some students might act dull or not smart by attitude but you find out that when they write exams they surprise you by their output and performance. Therefore, I have learnt not to judge anyone by their initial attitude until I get to know them.”
As for Mr. Eric Ogboo, a civil servant, creating a positive first impression is very important because there are some people you meet just once in your life time, thus projecting a positive and lasting impression matters as opportunity comes but once: “ I believe so much in creating a good first impression when I  have the chance because people come and go out in life, and there are some with whom you might not have the privilege of correcting the wrong impression you have created even if that is not who you are.”
“Every day we meet different people through different means and places, which also would be for diverse reasons or mere coincidence, first meetings can either make or mar future relationships depending on the individuals, but my grandfather ones told me that, “humans are like books that have to be read before you understand its content and at such should not be judged with their title, at such an individual should be thoroughly studied before been judged,” she concluded.