A lot of things have to do with the first impression and your communication skills certainly play a great role. If you want to make sure that you make a great first impression then you have to talk properly and communicate your ideas effectively. You are not going to impress many people if you are not talking properly. How can you make a great first impression? Here are some tips that you can keep in mind when trying to impress someone for the first time.

1. Say your words clearly. If you want to get your message across to someone then you have to make sure that you are being understood. If you eat your words or slur a lot then there is a high probability that the person you are talking to will not understand you. You must be able to pronounce words clearly when you talk to someone.

If you are having a hard time talking then you might want to try practicing by yourself. You might want to try listening to yourself while you speak. If you notice that your words are not pronounced correctly then practice the correct way of saying things.

2. Listen to what the other person is saying. Conversation is a two way road. Aside from speaking your mind out, you also listen to someone speak their mind too. If you do not comprehend what the other person is saying then how will you expect to respond properly?

How do you expect to have a decent conversation with someone else when you are not listening to what is being said? You might as well do a monologue on your own. If you want to have a meaningful and productive conversation with someone else then you must listen to what that person is telling you.

3. Clarify things. There are a lot of things that can be misinterpreted and misunderstood in the world today. If you want to make sure that you have a productive conversation with someone then you have to clarify things in your conversation. When you say that you are going to call a person, you should tell them when they will expect a call. When you hear that a person wants you to have dinner with them, ask the available dates. If you want a conversation to go somewhere then you have to pay attention to the details.

4. You must be sensitive to nonverbal cues. If you notice that the other person is scratching his or her head then maybe this person is confused on what you just said. You might want to clarify things a bit more. If the person is squinting then maybe he or she does not fully comprehend the thought that you just explained. These nonverbal cues are a very important aspect of conversation and you must be sensitive to them.

5. Ride the wave of the conversation. If you want to make a great first impression then you have to be sensitive to what is being talked about in the conversation and what clicks. If both of you are having fun talking about cars then don't mention airplanes.

Ride the wave about cars and then move on to the airplanes when it is over. If both of you are having fun talking about intellectual things then do not try to crack a joke in the middle of nowhere. This may simply be interpreted as rude. You certainly do not want to get this impression for the very first time.

Making a great first impression is something that everybody wants. You definitely want to put your best foot forward every time you meet someone new. You have to pay attention to verbal and nonverbal signs when you talk to people. This is certainly something that will make your communication skills much better than the average person out there.

Author's Bio: 

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available only at: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog