SCOM 123

Fundamental Human Communication: Group Presentations

First Impressions Exercise
Purposes
To point out the potency of the primacy effect and to help students get
further acquainted.
Time Required
2025 minutes with processing
Instructions
1. Have students select a partner they do not already know.
2. Tell them to decide whos A and whos B.
3. Instruct them that for the first 5 minutes A will be asking the
questions and B will respond.
4. Tell them their topic is education. They may ask anything they like
about this topic, but they must stay on education.
5. After 5 minutes, have them switch roles so that B is now asking the
questions and A is responding. Remind them to stay on the topic of
education.
6. After another 5 minutes passes, tell them to stop, take out a piece of
scratch paper, and number from 1 to 10. Tell them this paper will not
be turned in.
7. Instruct them to answer the questions without consulting their partner.
If they do not know the answer to a question, tell them to guess, but
dont leave anything blank.
Questionnaire
1. What is your partners name?
2. What is your partners view of James Madison University?
a. Likes JMU a great deal
b. Doesnt like JMU very much
c. Doesnt have an opinion one way or the other
3. Does your partner:
a. Want to have children one day?
b. Not want kids?
4. What are your partners career plans?
5. What is your partners favorite movie?
6. What is your partners favorite flavor of ice cream?
7. What is your partners favorite social media tool?

8. What is your partners favorite musical group or artist?

9. What is your partners favorite sport (to play, not to watch)?
10.Of the 9 questions above, how many do you think you got right?

Discussion Points
1. Ask them how many got 910 right, 78, and so on. If people raise their
hands on getting 7 or higher correct, ask them if they know each other.
They almost always do. Ask for 56 right and even 34. Most pairs will
have done pretty poorly.
2. Ask them why you had them focus their conversation on education and
then started asking them about ice cream flavors. See if someone
discerns that this exercise is about first impressions.
3. Point out that based on one 10-minute conversation with someone on
educational issues, we form some pretty powerful impressions of what
we think theyre like in other areas of their life.
4. Explain that this process is normal and that our brains are hardwired to
compartmentalize information. We couldnt avoid it even if we wanted
to.
5. Naturally, sometimes our impressions are wrong, which is why the
competent communicator is always open to new information that could
change his or her perception.
6. If desired, have the class write a quick paragraph on you, the teacher.
Tell them that youll look them over and let them know who came
closest. This gives students a chance to know you better as well.