How to Impress People

Last Updated: June 20, 2022 References

It's totally normal to want to impress other people–humans are social animals, and we all like to feel accepted! Plus, impressing important people like your boss, your teacher, or even that person you like can jumpstart connections and great conversations. But how do you do it? We'll walk you through ways to impress other people by tapping into what already makes you great and worth getting to know! Read on for tips on impressing others through what you do and say.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Being Authentic

1
Live loud and proud. Being unashamedly who you are and letting your passions in life shine through is very impressive to people, even when they don't realize it. Everyone wants to live like they don't care what others think, so when they see someone actually doing that they are impressed.^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Take responsibility. Take responsibility for your actions but also take on responsibility. Being the "adult" in the situation, ready to be in control and handle the consequences, is impressive to others.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Be honest. Tell people your polite but honest opinion.^{[3]
X
Expert Source

Sarah Schewitz, PsyD
Licensed Psychologist
Expert Interview. 15 April 2019.} Be open about biases you may have and be willing to tell someone when you think something won't work (even if it's your own product). When you make a promise or assurance, keep it.^{[4]
X
Research source} Over-deliver on things that you promise if you can. You want to be someone that people view as very trustworthy.^{[5]
X
Research source} This is seem as a rare trait and is admired.
4
Be positive.^{[6]
X
Research source} Be someone who can turn a terrible situation into a useful lesson without batting an eye. Always keep calm in tough situations. Don't be a complainer: just quietly confront problems and move on. People like people who can handle situations without becoming overwhelmed.^{[7]
X
Research source}
5
Respect everyone.^{[8]
X
Research source} Be respectful to your peers and superiors, but most importantly be respectful to people who others might view as "below" you. A great man once said, "If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." That said, be kind to the poor, the homeless, your employees, etc. They're more your equals than you might like to admit.
6
Be humble.^{[9]
X
Research source} A humble nature is actually very impressive to most people. The commonly accepted idea that acting like you're the best gets you treated better doesn't really hold true in practice. People don't like a showoff and it's likely to earn you more rival than anything else. Be humble about your accomplishments and people will be truly impressed.^{[10]
X
Research source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Living an Impressive Life

1
Pursue your passions and take action in your life. The most basic thing you should do to impress people? Do something. Anything.^{[11]
X
Research source} Getting up off the couch is the most basic step. This is something that is really hard for people, and when they see you going to the gym, taking your girlfriend on exciting weekend dates, and traveling every summer, they'll be impressed. What's even better is if you pick up new skills, either for fun or for work.
2
Get great at what you do. Whatever you do to get yourself up and actively living your life, get really good at that thing. Practice. Become a pro. This is incredibly impressive to people, even if your skill or passion is a bit niche.^{[12]
X
Research source}
3
Work hard. Of course, most people think they're working hard. If you're one of those, work harder.^{[13]
X
Research source} If you're of the opinion that you should get everything you want without really working hard at all, then we need to talk because that is a terrible way to go through life and it will not make people very impressed with you. People like someone with a strong work ethic. It makes you look more capable, even when you're not.
4
Help others frequently and sincerely. Someone who is generous is also impressive to most people.^{[14]
X
Research source} Find ways to help others, especially by doing things like volunteering. You should also clearly be offering your help for the sake of helping, not for personal gain. This means helping even when you think no one is paying attention. Believe us, it'll come back around.
5
Correctly show off your traits. If you want to impress someone with a trait you are proud of, you need to do it in a productive way. You don't want to seem like that mid-life crisis guy that thinks he's impressing people but really just gets pitied.
- Show off your wealth. If you want to show off how much money you have, don't do it by buying a bunch of stuff you don't need. Instead, give money to charity or bunch lunch for the homeless guy outside your building every day.
- Show off your strength. If you want to show off how strong or manly you are, do it by protecting those that can't protect themselves.
- Show off your intelligence. If you want to show off how smart you are, do it by offering to help people with assignments, using your intelligence to make things, or even by just admitting when you don't know something (but offer to help them find out).
6
Stand by your beliefs. A strong moral conviction is impressive to a lot of people. Do the right thing, especially when it's hard, and you'll find people patting you on the back before you know it. This can be complicated in a work place, but sometimes it's for the best.^{[15]
X
Research source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Impressing People at Work

1
Take initiative. Be willing to be the first one to offer when your boss asks "Would someone be willing to...". Be ready to act when decisions need to be made. Basically, be willing to take control in a situation, especially if no one else wants to. You boss will love you for it.^{[16]
X
Research source}
2
Keep an eye on innovations. Even if you don't care all that much about your job or your industry, get yourself invested in researching it. Keep updated on the latest innovations. When you see something that you think is really relevant or could significantly improve your workplace, bring it up to your boss. This is a type of taking initiative and your boss will still love you for it.^{[17]
X
Research source}
3
Look for and solve problems. Identify problems in your workplace (inefficiencies, things that break, things that could work better, etc). Now, find creative solutions for how to fix those problems. Talk to your boss about your solutions and then help get those solutions in place. This is one of the best ways to impress your boss.^{[18]
X
Research source}
4
Dress to impress. Dress nicer than what is required for your work place. This shows your boss that you place an emphasis on professionalism and think that making your company look good is worth the extra effort. It shows you're invested in what you do. This is an easy way to impress your boss.^{[19]
X
Research source}

Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Impressing People at School

1
Take part in lots of activities. Try or stick with lots of extra curricular activities (while maintaining good grades). This is something that easily impresses people because they'll see you as someone who's good at everything.^{[20]
X
Research source}
2
Follow your passions. Be unashamedly yourself. Be who you are. And love what you love. Pursue and get better at the things that make you happy. This is a great way to look confident, even when you're not. You peers will be really impressed.^{[21]
X
Research source}
3
Be nice to everyone. It might seem like the catty behavior of the popular crowd is what makes people like them, but it's not. If you're known for gossip, back-stabbing, and petty behavior, people are going to worry about what you'll do to them and no one will be impressed. Instead, be nice to everyone (even the people that other people don't like).
4
Do well in school.^{[22]
X
Research source} Don't act like you're too cool for school. If you spend all your time doing drugs and blowing off your work, everyone (your peers included) knows you're going to be standing on the other side of a McDonald's register before too long. Even if you're not great at academics, at least try.

Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Impressing People at a Party

1
Talk to people. The most basic trick is to actually talk to people.^{[23]
X
Research source} Sitting in the shadows isn't going to do you any favors.
2
Have a good story to tell. Keep a good story to tell, about pretty much any topic as long as the story is funny or entertaining, and tell it when the right context comes up. Lulls in the conversation or awkward moments are a good time to tell a story. Just don't make story-telling about stealing someone else's thunder.^{[24]
X
Research source}
3
Make people feel good. Instead of just constantly talking about yourself, take an interest in what other people do too. Ask them about themselves. This will impress them, as people love to talk about themselves at parties. This is especially handy if they are popular but quiet.^{[25]
X
Research source}
4
Learn magic tricks. You can always try some magic tricks or sleight of hand (YouTube will show you how to do a number of these). However, in a post-internet world, lots of people know how to do these tricks and it's less impressive than it used to be.