1. Starter Questions
What is the first thing you notice about someone?
Do you usually trust your first impression of a person?
Have you ever had a wrong first impression of someone?
How important are clothes and appearance when meeting someone?
Do you think people judge others too quickly?
What makes someone seem friendly?
What makes someone seem unfriendly?
Is it easier to make a good first impression in person or online?
Have you ever tried to make a strong first impression?
Can a bad first impression be changed?
2. Vocabulary
First Impression and Opinions
First impression
Meaning: The opinion you form when you first meet someone.
Example: My first impression of him was very positive.
Make an impression
Meaning: To cause someone to remember or notice you.
Example: She made a good impression at the interview.
Judge someone
Meaning: To form an opinion about someone.
Example: We shouldn’t judge people too quickly.
Change your mind
Meaning: To develop a different opinion.
Example: I changed my mind after speaking to him.
Give someone the wrong idea
Meaning: To make someone believe something incorrect.
Example: Her serious expression gave me the wrong idea.
Come across as
Meaning: To seem or appear to be a particular type of person.
Example: He comes across as very kind.
Personality and Behaviour
Approachable
Meaning: Friendly and easy to talk to.
Example: She looks very approachable.
Confident
Meaning: Believing in yourself and your abilities.
Example: He sounded confident during the interview.
Arrogant
Meaning: Acting as if you are better than other people.
Example: He seemed arrogant at first.
Polite
Meaning: Having good manners.
Example: It is important to be polite when meeting someone.
Reserved
Meaning: Quiet and not showing your emotions easily.
Example: He is quite reserved with new people.
Outgoing
Meaning: Friendly, sociable and comfortable around people.
Example: My sister is very outgoing.
Friendly
Meaning: Kind and pleasant towards other people.
Example: Our new neighbour seems very friendly.
Welcoming
Meaning: Making people feel comfortable and accepted.
Example: The staff were very welcoming.
Judgemental
Meaning: Being too quick to criticise or form negative opinions about others.
Example: He can be quite judgemental sometimes.
Reliable
Meaning: Someone you can trust or depend on.
Example: She made a good first impression because she seemed reliable.
Communication and Body Language
Body language
Meaning: Communication through posture, gestures and facial expressions.
Example: Body language can affect first impressions.
Eye contact
Meaning: Looking directly into someone’s eyes.
Example: Good eye contact can show confidence.
Facial expression
Meaning: The way your face shows an emotion or feeling.
Example: His facial expression made him look serious.
Tone of voice
Meaning: The way your voice sounds when you speak.
Example: Her tone of voice sounded friendly.
Smile
Meaning: To show happiness or friendliness with your face.
Example: A smile can help break the ice.
Nervous
Meaning: Worried or uncomfortable, especially in a new situation.
Example: I felt nervous before meeting my new classmates.
Relaxed
Meaning: Calm and comfortable.
Example: He seemed relaxed during the conversation.
Misunderstanding
Meaning: A situation where someone is understood incorrectly.
Example: His silence caused a misunderstanding.
3. Positive and Negative Adjectives
Positive Impressions
friendly
kind
welcoming
confident
respectful
intelligent
funny
relaxed
honest
reliable
enthusiastic
thoughtful
approachable
polite
outgoing
Negative Impressions
rude
arrogant
unfriendly
careless
nervous
dishonest
impatient
selfish
aggressive
boring
unreliable
judgemental
cold
reserved
disrespectful
4. Idioms and Expressions
1. Put your best foot forward
Meaning: To try to make the best possible impression.
Example: I always put my best foot forward during a job interview.
2. Get off on the wrong foot
Meaning: To start a relationship badly.
Example: We got off on the wrong foot, but now we are good friends.
3. Give someone the benefit of the doubt
Meaning: To choose to believe that someone has a good reason for their behaviour.
Example: He seemed rude, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
4. Read someone like a book
Meaning: To understand someone’s feelings or personality very easily.
Example: My best friend can read me like a book.
5. Keep someone at arm’s length
Meaning: To avoid becoming too close to someone.
Example: She keeps new people at arm’s length until she trusts them.
6. A breath of fresh air
Meaning: Someone or something pleasantly different.
Example: Our new teacher is a breath of fresh air.
7. Rub someone the wrong way
Meaning: To annoy or irritate someone.
Example: His arrogant attitude rubbed me the wrong way.
8. Break the ice
Meaning: To make people feel more comfortable when they first meet.
Example: The teacher told a joke to break the ice.
9. Hit it off
Meaning: To like each other immediately.
Example: We met at university and hit it off straight away.
10. Appearances can be deceiving
Meaning: Things are not always what they seem.
Example: He looks serious, but appearances can be deceiving.
5. Discussion Questions
What creates a good first impression?
Is appearance more important than personality when meeting someone?
How much can body language influence first impressions?
Do you think smiling makes someone seem more trustworthy?
Why do people sometimes judge others before speaking to them?
Is being quiet sometimes mistaken for being unfriendly?
Can someone appear confident but actually feel nervous?
How important is eye contact in a conversation?
What is the difference between confidence and arrogance?
Should people dress formally when meeting someone for the first time?
Have you ever disliked someone at first but later become friends?
Can someone be too friendly when you first meet them?
Are first impressions more important during job interviews?
Is it easier to make a good impression online or face-to-face?
How can someone recover from a bad first impression?
Do first impressions reveal someone’s true personality?
Should we trust our instincts about people?
Why might someone seem different after you get to know them?
What first impression do you think you make on other people?
Is it fair to judge someone based on their accent, clothes or appearance?
Useful Sentence Starters
In my opinion, first impressions are…
I tend to think that…
From my experience, …
I agree to some extent, but…
It depends on whether…
One reason is that…
For example, …
I would probably…
I wouldn’t necessarily assume that…
You can’t always judge someone by…
That reminds me of a time when…
I used to think…, but now I think…
