Summary
In this activity, students consider how their actions impact the first impressions formed by others. Students reflect on their personal strengths and explore different types of communication—written, verbal, and nonverbal. Students practice making strong first impressions and addressing written communication to different contacts, then reflect on their learning to conclude the activity.
Essential Question
How do our communication choices shape the first impressions others form of us?
Snapshot
Engage
Students consider what they first notice about others and what others may first notice about them.
Explore 1
Students explore how different types of communication can impact their understanding.
Explain
Students formalize their understanding of different types of communication and the basics of writing an email.
Explore 2
Students consider how their level of familiarity with their contact could impact the formality of their communication.
Extend
Students apply their verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills to different selected situations.
Evaluate
Students reflect on their learning using the Mirrors, Microscope, Binoculars instructional strategy.
Materials List
Activity Slides (attached)
To Whom handout (attached; one per pair; print one-sided)
Depends on the Situation handout (attached; one per student; print two-sided)
Learning Objectives
Analyze actions that impact first impressions.
Demonstrate clear communication skills.
Engage
5 Minute(s)
Introduce the activity using the attached Activity Slides. Share the essential question on slide 3 and the learning objectives from slide 4.
Introduce the Think-Pair-Share strategy. Display slide 5 and read both prompts on the screen, pausing to allow for student reflection.
When you meet someone for the first time, what do you notice about them?
What do you think people first notice about you?
After students have had a chance to think about both questions, have students get into groups of 2–3 to discuss their answers. Depending on your class, either have each group share out one response to the first prompt or have volunteers share their responses with the whole class.
Explore 1
5 Minute(s)
Display slide 6 and read the prompt on the screen: “Adults often perceive music from their early years as ‘better’ than current music.” Ask the class what they think the word perceive means. Transition to slide 7 to share that perception is the interpretation of sensory information from the environment. Ask students what they think sensory information is, or ask if they can think of any examples of a sense that would help them understand a situation.
Show slide 8 have students silently read the quote on the slide: “He’s so ugly!” Do not read it aloud. Transition to slide 9 and ask students how those words on the slide make them feel and what they think this comment is in regards to.
Move to slide 10, which shows the same quote and a picture of the speaker. Transition to slide 11 and ask students how they feel about the quote now that they have seen the speaker.
Display slide 12 and play the clip, Ant Man Movie - So Ugly, on the slide. Transition to slide 13 and ask students how their answers changed throughout the process of reading the words, seeing the speaker, and then watching the scene.
Show slide 14 and ask the following questions on the slide, pausing after each question to allow discussion.
Did everyone have the same perception?
If your perception changed, when did it shift?
What might influence someone’s perception?
After students have had a chance to discuss each question, ask the class: “Why should we consider how our actions are being perceived?” Allow time for students to reflect on the question, and then ask for volunteers to share why others’ perceptions of our actions matter.
Explain
15 Minute(s)
Show slide 15 and explain to students that a first impression is an early opinion someone makes during an initial interaction. Invite students to share examples of first impressions.
Display slide 16 and share with students that there are different ways in which we communicate: verbally, nonverbally, and written. Ask students for examples of each type of communication from their daily life.
Show slide 17 and share a formal description and additional examples of nonverbal communication. Have students consider how information is communicated by asking the question, “What are you communicating without using words?” If students struggle with this question, consider asking the following prompts:
What do you think if someone is covered in mud?
What do you think if someone is dressed in formal attire?
Transition through slides 18–20 to provide different examples of attire and what each example communicates. Help students understand that different situations require different clothing choices. At the end of each slide, consider asking students where the people on the slide might be going or what other conclusions could be drawn based on their attire.
Show slide 21 and share the definitions of verbal and written communication with examples. Encourage students to consider the prompt, “What are your words implying?” throughout the next activities.
Display slide 22 and draw students’ attention to the email on the slide. Ask students to identify any familiar elements of the email, if they notice any. Share with students that this example will be further dissected in the following slides. Transition through slides 23–26 and further elaborate on the parts of an email including the recipient’s email address, the subject line, the greeting, the body of the email (including the introduction and call to action), the closing, and the email signature.
Explore 2
10 Minute(s)
Show slide 27 and introduce the idea that sometimes students will email someone they know and sometimes they will email someone they have never met. Ask if (and how) this difference in recipient should influence how they write their email and facilitate a brief discussion.
Display slide 28 and have students find a partner or assign partners. Give each pair one copy of the attached To Whom handout. Tell students that the handout includes two emails, one written as if they know the person and the other written as if they have never met the person. Have them use choices from the answer bank to fill in the blanks.
After pairs complete the handout, use slides 29–32 to guide a class discussion. Invite students to share out what they wrote in the blanks along with their reasoning. Remember that there are multiple correct responses and not all options from the answer bank will be used. If students struggle with which phrases best fit each email, encourage them to consider which phrases sound more formal and which email would require that level of formality.
Extend
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 33 and encourage students by telling them that communication skills take time to develop, and they develop through practice. Let students know that their goal is to become an effective communicator who is able to clearly communicate a message, reach a mutual understanding, and acquire the desired response.
Move to slide 34 and give each student one copy of the attached Depends on the Situation handout. Have students work individually or in pairs to complete this activity. Explain to students that they should pick two situations from the next slide—one situation per side of the handout—and use those situations to practice their communication skills.
On the front of the handout, have students write their selected situation number in the blank. Have them then describe both the verbal and nonverbal communication they would use in that situation. Students should describe the nonverbal communication in the space at the top of the handout and describe the verbal communication between themselves and the other person using the speech bubbles.
On the back of the handout, have students write a different selected situation number and use that situation to practice their written communication skills in the form of an email.
Transition to slide 35 and give students approximately 15–25 minutes to complete the handout, depending on your students’ level of comfort with the tasks.
Display slide 36 and encourage students to consider which situation they found most challenging. Facilitate a brief discussion about their selections.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 37 and introduce the Mirror, Microscope, Binocular strategy. Have students take out a piece of paper and respond to the reflection questions on the slide:
Mirror: What do I currently do to make a good first impression?
Microscope: What skill can I practice to improve others’ first impressions of me?
Binoculars: How can I apply what I learned to future situations?
Collect student responses and use them to assess learning.
Research Rationale
Research rationale for this resource is provided in the literature review The Role of After-School Digital Media Clubs in Closing Participation Gaps and Expanding Social Networks.
Resources
Deo. (2016, May 13). Ant Man movie - So ugly, I loved [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nStEvyBDNgo
K20 Center. (n.d.). Mirror, microscope, binoculars. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3020
K20 Center. (n.d.). The role of after-school digital media clubs in closing participation gaps and expanding social networks. Literature Review. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/literature-review/4757
K20 Center. (n.d.). Think-pair-share. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/139