You've Got 39 Milliseconds - The New First Impression
By Scott J. Allen & Maria Soriano Young
“Have you checked your audio levels? Your screen presentation? Have you checked your backgrounds? Your internet connection?” —Ed Markey, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
In a study about first impressions, the authors found that “people base their first impressions of others on whatever information is available within the first 39 milliseconds.” Another study found that it’s 100 milliseconds. Yes, you read that right…that’s milliseconds. Admittedly, these are only two studies, and they were not conducted in the context of online presentations, but these still represent important data points—and ones that we feel are incredibly important (and a little astounding). You and your setting are now intertwined and included in the equation. While writing our book (link below), we have seen some pretty odd “stages.” We witnessed senior executives conduct meetings from their bathroom (yes, this did happen), laundry room, closet, or back deck, and even had participants attend from their (moving) cars. Without venturing too deep into the topic of personal brand, we feel that these “meeting locations” deserve mention. The setting and your technology matter—so does an immediate smile while the audience sizes up you and your setting in a few milliseconds.
Simply put, the setting for your online presentation is the new way to make a first impression, for better or worse. Toastmaster World Champion Aaron Beverly said, when speaking to us about the importance of setting, “Your computer screen is your stage....you now have to think about how you can use the stage, but use it in a very limited square.” With that, you have to remember that when you are giving an online presentation, you are letting participants into your space. Thus, you need to think about what will show up around and behind you. Think about or take a look around at your normal “work space,” and imagine that your webcam is on right now (bonus points if you turn on your webcam to test it out while you’re reading this). Take inventory: is your space well-lit, interesting, and professional? Or are you a shadowy figure on the couch with a ceiling fan running in the background? Are audience members looking up your nose? Or are you parallel with the camera? Are you looking off to the side for the entire presentation, or are you square with the camera? Does your internet speed meet the challenge, or is it constantly going in and out? What is appearing in the background? Are the audience members going to be focused on your vintage concert poster collection covering the wall behind you, or do they see a minimally-decorated setting? The reality is that there are several technology- and space-oriented considerations for anyone hoping to succeed when presenting online.
Presenting online requires that you think intentionally about many dimensions—and in some cases, you may need to invest in some equipment or supplies to ensure that you present your best self online. Designing a home setup that is professional and best complements your brand is an investment. Brandon Charpied, Executive Director of the Management & Organizational Behavior Teaching Society, said, “In total, I personally spent $2,500 to ensure my organization could provide the online environments that would assist in our members being able to engage without technological limitations during our conferences.” Scott spent about $600 on a microphone, webcam, headphones, green screen, and shelving on the other end of the spectrum. While Maria did not purchase any new equipment (moving into a new house took over in that category), she spent a lot of time neatly organizing and staging everything visible in her background. We certainly are not trying to spend your money, and we understand that funds may not always be readily available to create this ideal setup; rather, we aim to present you with ideas and recommendations to show you what these purchases could add to your environment. Further, Scott, Maria, and Brandon each view these upgrades and the decoration choices that go into them as an investment—in their personal brands, and the brands of their organizations.
To ensure that your first impression is as best as possible, get yourself organized and ready before signing in for the presentation and turning on your audio and camera. Clean up your space, set your computer and/or camera exactly where you want it, have your notes and a pen nearby, fix your hair/makeup/clothing/accessories, and turn off any other devices or notifications that might be a distraction. You don’t want your first impression to be your desk chair (we have seen that many times) or have your audience watching you mill around, shuffling papers and not looking at the screen!
It likely took you about 3 minutes to read this blog post. That’s 180,000 milliseconds. There’s not a lot of time to make a first impression. Are you up to the task?
Sources:
Bar, M., Neta, M., & Linz, H. (2006). Very first impressions. Emotion, 6(2), 269–278.
Willis, J., & Todorov, A. (2006). First impressions: Making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face. Psychological Science, 17(7), 592–598.
We explore this topic and others in our book Captovation: Online Presentations by Design.