The Difference Between Connection and Indifference

Mia Herrick | Flying House Media | The Experience Vault

Making the First Impression

I want you to ask yourself something: How do you think you are perceived after a first encounter? How might someone who just met you describe you?

We all know first impressions matter. That’s not up for debate. But what many people don’t realize is how quickly those impressions are formed. According to research highlighted in a LinkedIn article, You Have 7 Seconds to Make a Good First Impression. Here’s How to Do It., it takes only seven seconds for someone to form a first impression. Seven seconds.

But making a strong first impression isn’t about putting on a performance or creating a polished façade to win favor. It’s about something much simpler — presence. The presence you bring into a room shouldn’t be forced or rehearsed. It should be honest. Grounded. Real.

Because long before you introduce yourself, your presence is already speaking for you.

Coming with Presence

When arriving on set — whether for an intimate shoot or a large-scale production — there are a million things demanding your attention.

Lighting adjustments. Audio checks. Timelines. Logistics.

But one thing quietly deserves just as much attention: the patient who is there to tell their story.

Long before the camera rolls, before the lights are set and the first question is asked, the patient has already begun forming an impression of you.

And that first impression will often dictate how comfortable they feel opening up on camera. In many ways, those first few moments shape the entire conversation.

I’ve seen it happen countless times. A patient walks onto set unsure of what to expect. Their shoulders are tense, their answers short, their guard still firmly in place. But after a few minutes of genuine conversation — not about their diagnosis, but about their family, their hobbies, their life outside of the hospital — something shifts.

Their posture relaxes.Their voice softens.The room slows down.

And suddenly the story becomes something they want to share, not something they feel obligated to explain.

Applying Humility and Gratitude

Making that first impression count doesn’t start with asking about their diagnosis or their treatment journey. It starts with something much simpler.

“Thank you.”

Thank you for coming in today.Thank you for being willing to sit down with us.Thank you for having the courage to share something deeply personal.

For many patients, speaking openly about their experience on camera is not something they ever imagined doing. Acknowledging that courage matters. Because the strongest presence you can bring into that moment isn’t authority or control.

It’s humility and gratitude. When people feel respected, they begin to relax. When they feel appreciated, they begin to trust.

And trust is what allows real stories to emerge.

Applying Humility and Gratitude

Humility and gratitude shift the dynamic of the room.

Instead of feeling like a subject being interviewed, the patient begins to feel like a person whose experience is genuinely valued.

That shift creates space for something deeper than answers to questions.

It creates space for truth.

I remember one person who arrived clearly nervous about the interview. Their answers at first were brief and careful, almost rehearsed. But after our team took the time to acknowledge how vulnerable the process could feel — the tone of the conversation changed.

Later in the interview, they paused before answering a question and said quietly, “I’ve never told this part before.”

And that moment became the heart of the story.

Not because of the question that was asked, but because of the environment that allowed the answer to exist.

The First Impression Shapes the Story

The best interviews don’t begin with the first question. They begin with the first impression.

In just a few seconds, someone decides whether this space feels safe, respectful, and worth opening up in. Those seven seconds don’t just shape how someone sees you. They shape how much of their story they are willing to share.

And in healthcare storytelling, that difference means everything.

For more articles see our previous blog https://www.flyinghousemedia.com/post/emotional-safety-the-most-overlooked-strategy-in-patient-connection