Do you get nervous going into a meeting with a prospective client for the first time? Do you stress about networking with strangers at a conference reception? Each of these situations can be a bit unnerving. You know in those first few seconds that you are being sized up by the person standing across from you—just as you are sizing them up as well. You certainly want to make a good first impression, but you literally have seconds to do so.

This edition of Promotional Consultant Today shares a few tips from a recent blog by Brian Solis. He points out that naturally confident people do not shy away from meeting new people; they put themselves out there. They also practice and that helps to ease new introductions. They do not kick themselves if they have an awkward moment—they learn from it and move on.

Here are more ways confident people make a great first impression when meeting someone new:

Prepare: It is smart to research who you are meeting ahead of time so you will feel at ease and able to strike up conversations more easily. This is not always possible, but in work situations, you know who you will be speaking with more often than not. Read up on the background of the company so that you have a few talking points to share.

Be punctual: Being late not only makes a poor first impression, but it starts you off at a disadvantage. If you are meeting in person, plan to arrive a little early so you can find a parking space and collect your thoughts. If you are participating in a web meeting, eliminate distractions ahead of time and be ready to log in as soon as the meeting starts.

Offer a friendly hello: You may not have given much thought to how you say hello. But studies of vocal attractiveness show that people form an immediate opinion of the other person's personality with this simple greeting. So make sure your warmth comes through when you say hello the first time.

Use appropriate eye contact: Eye contact is one more way that people gauge the trustworthiness of others. If you are not sure how long to hold the other person's gaze, look at their eyes long enough to register what color their eyes are. Eye contact is also critical if you are meeting online, so be sure to look at the other person on the screen, just as if you were meeting in person.

Engage in chitchat: You may think that small talk is a waste of time (and just want the conversation done and over with.) But small talk is important to the art of conversation; a few minutes chatting about the weather helps eliminate your own awkwardness before you ease into more serious topics. Chitchat also makes the other person feel comfortable (which will make you more likable.)

Ask questions: You may think that you should show strength and launch right into your discussion. But posing a question first allows the other person to have the floor—which helps them to feel understood. In the process, you learn something new about the other person, which helps to build the relationship. And remember to take turns and listen to what the other person is saying, instead of planning what you are going to say next.

It is true that first-time meetings can be awkward. But you will gain more confidence every time you take that opportunity to meet someone new.

Source: Brian Solis seeks business and wilderness adventure. He has been the founder or early employee of six cloud-based software companies and is the CEO of Aha!, one of the leading roadmap software products. His last two companies were acquired by Aruba Networks [ARUN] and Citrix [CTXS].