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There’s a reason that something is repeated over and over again, until it becomes one of those things that parents call “an old saying.” It’s because it has been tested by time and proven to be true. “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” “The early bird gets the worm.”
When your parents start a conversation with “There’s an old saying . . . ,” you should resist sighing loudly and instead listen to what they have to say, especially this: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
First impressions count, which is why the way you respond when being introduced to someone, especially an older someone, is very important.
Let’s say your mother has dropped you off at your father’s office so he can take you to soccer practice. You are reading a magazine while you wait for him to pack up his briefcase. His boss walks into his office, and your father says, “Diana, this is my daughter Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Ms. Reid.”
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If you remain seated in your chair, barely look up over the top of the magazine, and mumble, “Hello” or even worse, “Hey,” your father’s boss will forever remember you as the rude young woman who didn’t know the first thing about respect for older people.
When you are introduced to another person, the right thing to do is to look at the person and say, “It’s nice to meet you Sam/Tressa/Mrs. Brooks/Mr. Tate/Reverend Stevens/Dr. Mayer.” If the person you are being introduced to is your age, and it seems appropriate to shake hands, you can do so. If the person you are being introduced to is an adult, you wait for that person to extend their hand first, and if they do, offer a firm handshake, though not a tight grip.
If your father’s boss walks into his office while you are reading a magazine, the first thing you do, even before your father gets one word out of his mouth, is close the magazine, set it on a table, and stand up. When your father says, “Diana, this is my daughter Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Ms. Reid,” you make eye contact with Ms. Reid, smile, and say, “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Reid.” If she extends her hand, shake it.
Five years down the road when you and your dad run into Ms. Reid in a restaurant or at a movie theater and he says to her, “Diana, do you remember my daughter Evelyn?” Ms. Reid will remember you as the very poised and polite young woman with impeccable manners whom she met in your father’s office one afternoon. And that’s certainly preferable to the alternative because one day you might want an internship or summer job at your father’s company. You just never know.
YOU DO
Repeat the person’s name to whom you are being introduced.
YOU DON’T
Just say “hello” and think that covers it.
Why
Repeating a person’s name back helps you remember their name for future reference, an invaluable asset.
YOU DO
Stop what you are doing when you are being introduced.
YOU DON’T
Simply wave the hot dog you’re eating at the ball game toward the person you’re being introduced to.
Why
If someone thinks enough of you to introduce you to someone else, don’t embarrass everyone—especially yourself—by acting as if you couldn’t be bothered.
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A lady smiles and makes eye contact with the person she is being introduced to.
A lady remembers that first impressions are lasting impressions.
If the person making introductions has somehow forgotten your name, a lady comes to the rescue by offering it herself. “Hello, I’m Mandy” is all that is needed to save the situation.