3 Tips for better first impressions, productivity & pay raises | ABC7 News Live - Shadé Zahrai

1. 0:00 – 0:20

   How first impressions are formed: warmth first, then competence

   1. SPSpeaker0:00

      uh, Shadé Zahrai is joining us all the way from Australia. She's a peak performance consultant for Fortune 500 companies. Good morning. Thanks for joining us. And let's talk first about first impressions. They're so important.

   2. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:11

      Mm-hmm.

   3. SPSpeaker0:12

      What should people do to make a good first impression?

   4. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:16

      Well, can I just say, John and Rachel, you made an outstanding first impression.

   5. SPSpeaker0:19

      [laughs]

2. 0:20 – 0:50

   Why “polished” body language fails without authenticity

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:20

      So what we [laughs] what we know from social cognition research is that in a first encounter, people judge you subconsciously and in a matter of seconds on two things. First, warmth, do I like and trust you? Followed by competence, do I respect you? So I could actually share with you tips on holding eye contact, smiling, leaning in to show interest, and speaking with confidence, but all of this will backfire if you're not being authentic, because people can tell. So what I always recommend is a simple habit

3. 0:50 – 1:08

   A simple habit to become naturally warmer: look for genuine positives

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:50

      of consciously seeking the positive qualities in whoever you meet, no matter how small. Now, when you're in this state, you're naturally warmer, and you could use things like authentic flattery. For example, "Rachel, I love your enthusiasm." And this sort of genuine praise actually creates a much better first impression.

   2. SPSpeaker1:07

      Oh, okay.

4. 1:08 – 1:28

   A quick competence signal: introduce yourself with first and last name

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai1:08

      And then an immediate way to boost your respectability is to share your first and your last name when you're introducing yourself. So for example, "It is so great to meet you both. I'm Shadé Zahrai." It's saying, "I'm valuable enough for you to know my last name."

   2. SPSpeaker1:22

      Wow.

   3. SPSpeaker1:23

      Wow.

   4. SPSpeaker1:23

      Such great advice, and I'm flattered too.

   5. SPSpeaker1:24

      And you're, you're also planting that in their heads one more time-

   6. SPSpeaker1:26

      Yeah

   7. SPSpeaker1:26

      ... kind of.

   8. SPSpeaker1:27

      I love it.

   9. SPSpeaker1:28

      Yeah.

5. 1:28 – 1:38

   The phone-first habit: why checking your phone right after waking is risky

   1. SPSpeaker1:28

      And Shadé, this next question was really interesting to me. Most of us do it. We check our phones as soon as we wake up. But you say we should stop doing that. Why?

6. 1:38 – 2:08

   How morning phone use can trigger stress mode and derail your day

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai1:38

      Well, when you first wake up, especially if your alarm disrupts you while you're in deep sleep, your brain switches from delta waves to daydreamy theta waves. And when you're in this theta state, your brain is really malleable and changeable. Now, when you check your phone first thing, which many of us do, especially when we're trying to aid ourselves to wake up, you might be on social media, you might be checking emails. You're actually skipping this theta state and going straight into alert mode. And then if you happen to come across something negative on social media

7. 2:08 – 2:33

   Better first 20 minutes: gratitude, meditation/prayer, affirmations, visualization

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai2:08

      or emails, you could actually trigger your body's stress mode, which puts you on edge for the whole day. So the key to remember is that the first 20 minutes of your day can absolutely set you up for success. So we recommend having a morning gratitude practice, meditating or praying, repeating some affirmations, or visualizing what your week looks like instead of being on your phone. You will absolutely notice a difference.

   2. SPSpeaker2:29

      And talk about this. Everybody would love a raise. Uh, some tips.

   3. SPSpeaker2:33

      Mm-hmm.

8. 2:33 – 2:37

   When to ask for a raise: only if value and pay are misaligned (and framing matters)

   1. SPSpeaker2:33

      Uh, how do you approach the boss about, "Hey, it's time for a little more money"?

9. 2:37 – 3:07

   Five-step raise script (1–2): gratitude + evidence of performance

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai2:37

      It's a great question. Now, if you genuinely believe that you're underpaid for the value that you bring, I always encourage you to ask for a raise. There's no harm in asking. But of course, if it's not framed right, you might completely lose your chance. So I wanna share with you the five tried and tested steps that I recommend, and it's what many of my followers swear by. So step one is to start with gratitude. "Thank you for your time. I've really enjoyed working with the team." Step two, evidence of performance. "Over the past X months, I've been able to deliver A, B, and C, and I received the

10. 3:07 – 3:37

    Five-step raise script (3–5): market comparison, clear ask, request support + document it

    1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai3:07

       following feedback." Step three, you move to comparison. "I've looked at comparable roles in companies similar to ours, and I have a really clear view of my market value, which is X dollars to Y dollars." Step four, you ask. "I would like to ask for an increase in salary to X dollars." And then step five, request support. "Can you please help me with this request?" Then you want to immediately follow up in an email summarizing your conversation and everything that you shared so it's documented. And these steps could just help you secure your next raise.

    2. SPSpeaker3:36

       Oh, my gosh.

    3. SPSpeaker3:37

       Great advice.

11. 3:37 – 3:53

    Wrap-up: hosts react and note the Australia time difference

    1. SPSpeaker3:37

       I love it. I love how specific it is too. Thank you so much for the valuable advice and waking up with us, even though I'm not sure what time-

    2. SPSpeaker3:43

       Yeah

    3. SPSpeaker3:43

       ... it is in Australia.

    4. SPSpeaker3:44

       Are you, are you-

    5. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai3:45

       It is, uh, mid... It was just hit over midnight.

    6. SPSpeaker3:48

       Oh, my gosh.

    7. SPSpeaker3:48

       Okay.

    8. SPSpeaker3:48

       Well, dang.

    9. SPSpeaker3:48

       So thanks for staying up with us. [laughs]

    10. SPSpeaker3:49

        Thank you so much, Shadé.

    11. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai3:50

        No, thank you for having me.

    12. SPSpeaker3:51

        [laughs]

    13. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai3:51

        It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

    14. SPSpeaker3:52

        Thank you.

Episode duration: 3:54