This document discusses the concept of impression management according to sociologist Erving Goffman. It covers key points of Goffman's view of social life as performance and the front stage and back stage regions of self. It also defines impression management as the process of portraying yourself to others to create a desired impression, and discusses common impression management techniques like self-promotion, flattery, excuses, and favors. The document notes both the importance and disadvantages of impression management.

1. Impression Management
-By
- J.Deepak
- Shyam Sundar
-TSM -PGDM

2. Erving Goffman
• We are all actors within the Social World, a central theme from
Goffman book “The presentation of self in everyday life”
• In a sense, we are call “Fakers” or engaged in a “Con Job” on
ourselves to effect other people.
• Goffman argues that the self is simply nothing more than “Self
Presentations” and “Role Performances.”
• Social life as a theatre, with social scripts, performances and
actors & roles that perform in the Front and Back Regions of self.

3. Dramaturgical approach
• Performance :
Any individual activity that is Self aware and done before a
particular set of observers and to influence the observers.
• Regions in performances:
-Front stage or region: Realm where we carry out interaction
performances in relation to others it is a public domain.
-Back stage: Performance preparation area to present in front
regions. Often separated by physical or location barriers

4. Impression Management
• The process of portraying
yourself to others in a manner
that creates a desired
impression.
• Individual attempt to control or
guide others impression by
changing or fixing his or her
setting, appearance and manner
• Every individual is engaged in
certain practices to avoid being
embarrassed or embarrassing
others.

5. Need of impressions

6. First impressions...
• Within seconds of seeing a person for the first time we
decide their:
• etiquette
• social status
• approachability
• education
• religion
• sexuality
• friendliness

7. First impressions: 93% rule
55% appearance
& body language
38% tone, pitch &
pace of your voice
7% what
you say

8. Why it is important at work…
• Doing a good job accounts for 10% of the
impression you give
• 90% of the impression you give of being capable is
based on perception of others
– presentation of work
– presentation of self
– being seen to be ‘doing a good job’

9. IM Techniques
Verbal Self-
Presentation
Self-
Descriptions
Association
Opinion
Conformity
ExcuseApologies
Acclaiming
Flattery
Favors

10. Opinion conformity
• Opinion conformity: Agreeing with someone else’s
opinion in order to gain his or her approval.
Example: A manager tells his boss, ‘You are
absolutely right on your reorganizations plan for
the western regional office.’

11. Excuses
• Excuses: Explanations of a predicament (difficult or
embarrassing situation) creating event aimed at
minimizing the apparent severity to the
predicament.
• Example: Sales manager to boss. ‘We failed to get
the ad in the paper on time, but no one responds to
those ads anyway’.

12. Apologies
• Apologies: Admitting responsibility for an
undesirable event and simultaneously seeking to
get a pardon for the section
• Example: Employee to boss, ‘I’m sorry I made a
mistake on the report Please forgive me’.

13. Self-Promotion
• Self-Promotion: Highlighting one’s best qualities
downplaying one’s deficits (the amount or score by
which a team or individual is losing) and calling
attention to one’s achievements.
• Example: A salesperson tells his boss: ‘Matt worked
unsuccessfully for three years to try to get that
account I sewed it up in six weeks. I’m the best
closer this company has’.

14. Flattery
• Flattery: Complementing others about their
behavior or achievement in an effort to make one
self appear perceptive and likeable.
• Example: New sales trainee to peer. ‘You handled
that client’s complaint so tactfully! I could never
have handled that as well as you did’.

15. Favors
• Favors: Doing nice for someone to gain that
person’s approval.
• Example: Sales person to prospective client, ‘I’ve
got two tickets to the theater tonight that I can’t
use. Take them. Consider it a thank you for taking
the time to talk with me’.

16. Association
• Association: Enhancing or protecting one’s image by
managing information about people and things with
which one is associated.
• Example: A job applicant says to an interviewer,
“What a coincidence. Your boss and I were
roommates in college”.

17. STRATEGIES OF IM
The ‘process’ of creating a false image of ourselves

18. Intimidation
• Intimidation : This strategy
adapted by a person to get
his/her work done by
arousing fear in them. Here
his motto is to get his work
done, take control and get
results.

19. Self- promotion
• Self- promotion: In this
case, a person is
promoting his strengths to
prove his competency.
This can prove to be a
positive point in case of an
interview but if your
claims do not match your
abilities, self promotion
can prove to be disastrous.

20. INGRATIATION
• INGRATIATION : An art of gaining acceptance or effort to
make people like us.
Usually involves:
- an ulterior motive (there are benefits for us)
- in situations where the other person has discretionary power
Often achieved by:
- Opinion conformity
- Other enhancement (flattery)
- Self enhancement through selective self presentation ( wearing
attractive clothes, talking cautiously, etc.)

21. Exemplification & Supplication
• Exemplification : This can be a way of portraying
one's moral worthiness. Here, a person tries to
prove his sincerity, dedication and responsibility
towards his work, in a way that he tries to portray
himself as the superior one.
• Supplication : Supplication is an act wherein a
person tries to gain sympathy and attention by
talking about his pains and faults.

22. How To Improve Impression
Management :-
• Set goals.
• Commit to the change you
want to create.
• Dress appropriately
• Learn to shake hands
• Keep your body language
open
• Keep smiling and feel
confident

23. Disadvantages

24. Disadvantages
However employees need to be noticed in order for organizations growth.
Managers should not assume that employees who do not push themselves are not
ambitious or able as their peers.
Some employees trust the formal HRM systems to provide career opportunities,
underestimating the importance of informal networks for information about senior
posts.
Some individuals with potential do not always realize the importance of "branding“
their values and core strengths to their senior managers.
Managers could help those employees by clarifying the kind of performance and
commitment which get rewarded, so that they can make better-informed choices.

25. Conclusion
• Perhaps individuals do not want to use IM, but they
should know the unwritten penalties for not delivering
and being seen to deliver what the organization wants
and needs.
• Impression-management is neither good nor bad, it is an
integral part of our social interaction and everyone gets
involved in it everyday.

26. References
• http://www.themanagementskills.com/career/impression-management
• http://www.citehr.com/1027-impression-management-hr-consultant.html#ixzz39zeQ8CpP
• http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Impression_Management_in_Organizations_Scale
• http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/impression-management-in-sociology-theory-
definition-examples.html#lesson
• http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/erving-goffmans-theories-impression-
management-dramaturgy-symbolic-interaction.html#lesson
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression_management
• http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/courses/IMPMGT.HTML
• http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/impression_management

27. Thank you