A first meeting goes better when curiosity has more room than the wish to impress.

Trying to be impressive uses up the attention a first meeting needs. While you are managing what they think of you, you are not really listening, and the other person can feel the difference between being met and being an audience. Curiosity solves both problems at once: it takes the pressure off you and gives them the rare experience of genuine interest. People remember how a conversation felt long after they forget what was said.

Walk into the next introduction with two questions you actually want answered. Let being interested do the work you were going to give to being interesting.