IMPRESSION

MANAGEMENT FOR
LAWYERS
Paul Svongoro, October 2016
WHAT WE AIM AT ACHIEVING?
Define impression management/ self
presentation skills.
Trace the origins of IM from Erving Goffman.
Explain the various verbal and non-verbal IM
strategies we can use in various contexts.
Explain a lawyers may use IM in court or with
clients to enhance his/her professional
standing.
AN INTRODUCTION
Have you ever asked yourself why people
behave the way they do?

A law student
A lecturer
A newly married son/daughter in-law
A newly recruited employee
A newly recruited law graduate
ERVING GOFFMANS IM
Erving Goffman- a Canadian-American sociologist, who
is known most for his study and analysis of everyday
human interactions.
Goffman was a sociologist who viewed society through
the symbolic interaction perspective; this perspective
looks at the everyday behaviour and interactions
between people to help explain society. Some
examples of everyday interaction would be meeting
various people in the grocery store, workers
interacting on the job, meetings of a small group
Goffman's research is fundamental in understanding
society's ideas, values, and beliefs through the
behaviour of the individual. It is through his findings
that we can better understand situational behaviour.
ERVING GOFFMAN AND
PRESENTATION OF SELF
Erving Goffman introduced a popular thinking within
the symbolic-interaction perspective called the
dramaturgical approach (sometimes referred to as
dramaturgical analysis).
Dramaturgical analysis is defined as the study of social
interaction in terms of theatrical performance.
Has origins in William Shakespeares dramaturgy
theory.
Life is thought of in terms of a theatrical stage:
Life is a stage, and all the men and women merely
actors. They all have their entrances and exits.
THE PRESENTATION OF SELF
CONTD
Goffman stated that people could be seen as
performers in a theatre. Actors in a play
portray a certain image to the audience, and
so people in society also put forth, in their
behaviour, a certain image or impression to
other people.
For example: in church we may be quiet,
respectful, and reverent; at a party, we may
be more outgoing and relaxed.
All humans behave in different ways in their
back/ front stages
THE PRESENTATION OF SELF
CONTD
IM is a symbolic interaction theorist, Erving
Goffman, coined the term impression
management in 1959
from then on, sociologists and theorists have
been adding insights and importance to the
concept.
IM DEFINED
Erving Goffman (1959) "Impression
management is an active self-presentation
of a person aiming to enhance his image in
the eyes of others
According to Newman (2009), impression
management is an act presenting a
favourable public image of oneself so that
others will form positive judgments .
Impression management is a fundamental
and universal process that involves a number
of social, cultural and spiritual factors.
IM DEFINED
Nobody hands values, norms, roles, and statuses
to us fully formed, nor do we accept them
mechanically.
We mould them to suit us as we interact with
others (Brym and Lie, 2006)
By moulding values, norms, roles, and statuses,
people can modify themselves and alter how
others perceive them.
It is not always clear whether or not people are
aware of the allusions they create when they
intentionally alter their values, norms, roles, and
statuses to manufacture positive impressions.
IM DEFINED
Andersen and Taylor (2006)- IM can be seen
as a type of con game
When a person engages in IM, they are
attempting to manipulate the impression
they project onto others.
Analyzing IM reveals that we try to con the
other into perceiving us as we want to be
perceived
IM DEFINED
In IM, the person UNDER SCUITINY manages
the perception of the perceiver hoping to
have a positive impact
Scholars concur that impression
management is the key to formulating a
positive impression.
Scholars can also agree that in order to form
positive impressions, one must first learn to
manipulate the perceiver (Newman, 2009)
IM DEFINED
People are sensitive to how they are seen by
others and use many forms of impression
management to compel others to react to
them in the ways they wish (Giddens, 2005)
Impression management is a self-
presentation technique that focuses on
improving a persons image in the eyes of
others
So...Impression management is a tool most
of us use to present ourselves as likable
people
SYNONYMS OF IM
Some writers use the terms:

self-presentation skills
identity management
Self evaluation skills
Perception management skills
THE IMPORTANCE OF IM
Although IM is a conscious act of manipulating reality, IM
can be a constructive feature of social interaction
People across the globe implement this concept in order
to obtain a favourable social outcome.
Newman (2009) compliments this concept by pointing
out that IM plays a prominent role in the socialization
process
IM allows the production of manufactured personas,
which aid in the socialization process.
The use of IM provides people with the necessary skills to
create a custom and often falsified perception.
This deceptively altered perception allows a person to
construct a new, but not necessarily improved version of
him or herself.
THE IMPORTANCE OF IM CONTD
IM THEREFORE helps a person carefully craft THEIR
IMAGES hence relationships and by extension they
have the ability to alter their position in the
socialization process through impression
management.
IM allows people to carefully craft and construct
their public perception
In some cases, in order to obtain a favourable
public or social appearance, a person must alter
and falsify their persona.
THUS, IM can also have a number of negative
implications, such as, deception and falsification of
self.
HOW WE CONTROL PEOPLES
IMPRESSIONS ABOUT US USING IM?
HOW PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO CONTROL HOW OTHERS
PERCEIVE THEM IS PORTRAYED THROUGH THE
CLOTHING THEY WEAR.
A LAWYER strives to be respected and in order to
control and maintain the impression; HE/SHE wears
a nice suit, carries a briefcase, and acts in a
professional manner.
The professional clothing and the dignified manner
in which the person carries him or herself, plays a
large role in the impression management process.
BUT...This can also be adapted for a cultural
scenario.
HOW WE CONTROL OTHERS
TRHOUGH IM CONTD
THROUGH THE PROCESS OF ALTERING ONES
PERSONALITY AND ACTIONS IN ORDER TO BE
ACCEPTED BY A SPIRITUAL/SOCIAL GROUP
EXAMPLES
how we act differently at church than we do
anywhere else
how we would wear different clothing, listen to
other types of music, and even alter topics of
conversation
Around the church people act differently
more upright, more spiritual, we would act
nicer than we really were
HOW WE CONTROL OTHERS
THROUGH IM
Others also form impressions of us based on
what we say (our verbal messages) the
language we choose to use, the words we use
How we speak- including our fluency,
sophistication etc
How you act
How we stand, sit, or move
We also communicate our self-image and
judge others by the people with whom they
associate; if you associate with VIPs, then
surely you must be a VIP yourself
IM STRATEGIES
AFFINITY-SEEKING STRATEGIES.
Are meant to increase your chances of being liked

EXAMPLES

Follow the cultural rules for polite, cooperative, respectful

conversation.
Appear active, enthusiastic, and dynamic.
Stimulate and encourage the other person to talk about himself or
herself.
Communicate interest in the other person.
Appear honest, reliable, and interesting.
Communicate warmth, supportiveness, and empathy.
Demonstrate shared attitudes and values.

EVEN Plain old flattery also goes a long way toward making you liked.
IM STRATEGIES
POLITENESS STRATEGIES.
Politeness strategies are used to appear
likeable. Can be looked at in terms of:

face-saving
face-threatening strategies.
IM STRATEGIES CONTD
IMMEDIACY STRATEGIES
Immediacy is the creation of closeness, a sense of
togetherness, of oneness, between speaker and listener.
people respond to communication that is immediate more
favourably than to communication that is not. People like
people who communicate immediacy.
You can increase your interpersonal attractiveness, the
degree to which others like you and respond positively
toward you, by using immediacy behaviours
For example, when a supervisors uses immediacy
behaviours, he or she is seen by subordinates as interested
and concerned; subordinates are therefore likely to
communicate more freely and honestly about issues that
can benefit the supervisor and the organization.
IM STRATEGIES
CREDIBILITY STRATEGIES.

If a politician/ lawyer and wants people to trust/vote for him/her, at

least part of the strategy would involve attempts to establish your
credibility which consists of your:
competence

character

charisma).

For example, to establish your competence, you might mention your

great educational background and cases you have won
To establish that you are of good character, you might mention your
fairness and honesty, your commitment to enduring values, or your
concern for those less fortunate.
And to establish your charismayour take-charge, you might
demonstrate enthusiasm, be emphatic, or focus on the positive while
minimizing the negative.
IM STRATEGIES
INFLUENCING STRATEGIES
In many instances you will want to get people
to see you as a leader.
You demonstrate your knowledge (information
power), your expertise (expert power), your
right to lead by virtue of your position as, say, a
doctor or judge or accountant (legitimate
power)
You may show your leadership strategies, you
might stress your prior experience, your broad
knowledge, or your previous successes.
IM STRATEGIES
IMAGE CONFIRMING STRATEGIES.
You may sometimes use image-confirming
strategies to reinforce your positive
perceptions about yourself.
E.G If you see yourself as the life of the party,
you will tell jokes and try to amuse people.
This behaviour confirms your own self-image
and also lets others know that this is who you
are and how you want to be seen.
Criminals and prostitutes alike can also use
this strategy
IM FOR LAWYERS IN COURT
Because lawyers like politicians are trying to win votes (that is, the
judges votes for conviction or acquittal), they understand the
importance of playing to the audience.
One of the rst things that a lawyer does when he/she1 realizes that a
case is going to trial is to begin to compare herself to her opponent. In so
doing, she will ask herself some or all of the following questions:
Is this person a more experienced attorney than I am?
Does this persons advocacy skills surpass my own?
Will I be outshone by this persons personality or showmanship?
Will the magistrates/judges like this person better than they like me?
Such questions do not indicate insecurity; instead, they are key
components of a critical self-analysis necessitated by the fact that a trial
is a dramatic performance in which the lawyer plays a leading role.
Thus a lawyer must recognize that, whenever she appears in court, her
appearance, her attitude, and her personality are quite literally on trial.
IM FOR LAWYERS DURING
INTERVIEWS
During lawyer-client interviews, a lawyer
must recognize that to win their clients
trust:
his/her appearance
His/ her attitude
his/ her personality are being scrutinised by
the client.
REFERENCES
Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. L. (2006). Sociology: The essentials.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
Brym, R. S., & Lie, J. (2006). Sociology: Your compass for a new
world. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
Ferrante, J. (2008). Sociology: A global perspective. Belmont, CA:
Thomas Higher Education.
Giddens, A. (2005). Sociology. Cambridge, UR, UK: Polity Press.
Is that what were here about?: a lawyers use of impression
management in a closing argument at trial
Hobbs, P. (2003). Is that what were here about?: a lawyers use
of impression management in a closing argument at trial .
Discourse & Society, Vol 14(3): 273290. SAGE Publications: London
and New Delhi)
Newman, D. M. (2009). Sociology: Exploring the architecture of
everyday life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.