This morning brought the students together for two very important sessions: First Impressions and Presentation Skills.
Katherine Mason, of Jon D. Williams Cotillion, spoke to the students about how to make a great first impression. Seeing as it only take 7-10 seconds to develop up to 11 assumptions about a person, making sure that you are presenting yourself in the best manner is truly important. Here are the five tips Mason gave to the students on how to always make a positive first impression.
1. Smile-let’s people know you’re friendly. It’s one of the most powerful thing you can do to influence another person. Smiling makes you appear friends, more approachable, and confident.
2. Introduce yourself with your full name-make sure to introduce yourself using your first and last name. You success in life will come from the relationships you make everyday, make sure everyone knows who you are.
3. Eye contact-this establishes a connection between you and the other person. Shows that you are confident and sincere. Lack of eye contact can lead to people feeling that you are hiding something, insincere, and looking for someone better to talk to.
4. Have a firm handshake-squeeze the persons hand about as hard as you would squeeze a tube of toothpaste. Having a good firm handshake will show that you are confident and comfortable.
5. Body language-60% of the impression people will have of you is based on body language. Hands on your hips and people may think you’re frustrated. Crossing your arms may lead people to think that you are uncomfortable and have something to hide.
Mason mentioned to the group that it takes 7 good impressions to make up for one bad impression. She also shared with them Zig Zigler’s famous quote ”It’s your attitude not you aptitude that will determine your altitude.”
After the first impressions workshops the students broke into their groups. A volunteer was assigned to each group and helped them work on their presentation skills. The volunteers were able to give the students guidelines and tips on how to make a professional, exciting and memorable presentation. Since the group presentations are only a day away this was a great opportunity to get a fresh perspective on what the presentations should include.
For lunch the students attended JA Business Week’s eSummimt, sponsored by Cricket Communication. The event was emceed by JA Board Member and Publisher of the Denver Business Journal, Scott Bemis. Three local entrepreneurs: Nick Tart, of juniorbiz.com, Darrin Foster, of Oogies Gourmet Popcorn and Jim Talaric, of Fusion Specialities were on hand to share their stories about being entrepreneurs, the challenges and the triumphs they have experienced.
The speakers were able to give personal stories about their experiences and provide advice on how to create a successful business. One piece of advice that they all mentioned was to start with an idea, a service or a product. Once you have an idea and a plan, line up the resources and then commit your life to it. Keeping in mind that there is a lot of risk involved.