You\u2019re at a party, a conference or a chamber mixer. And admittedly, you\u2019re not a social butterfly. You feel more like a social caterpillar, wishing you could hide behind a leaf until the party\u2019s over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are those who thrive on social situations. They know everybody\u2019s name. They tell great jokes. They have stories about their last vacation, their new house or the interesting people they know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the good news. You don\u2019t have to be the life of the party. You can meet new people, make connections, make yourself known and — believe it or not — enjoy yourself in social situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Keep your back to the wall
<\/strong> OK, not literally. But when you stand in the middle of a room, you are turning your back to half of the people there. Stand to one side, looking out (and looking friendly). Much more approachable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Don\u2019t cluster up
<\/strong>If you attend an event with your spouse, friends or coworkers, it\u2019s tempting to talk with them. But to strangers, it looks like you\u2019re having a private conversation and don\u2019t want to be interrupted. Not very social.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Ask questions
<\/strong>If you\u2019re not a naturally talkative person, don\u2019t sweat it. Let the other person do the talking. You can also find connections if you listen \u2026\u201dWhere do you work?\u2026 My cousin works there, too.\u201d \u201cYou grew up in Mitchell? I\u2019ll bet you know \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Keep moving
<\/strong>If you meet someone interesting, you might be tempted to glom onto them and keep the conversation going. But it’s better to cast a wide net, meet as many people as possible and keep the conversations short. Be polite. And if your conversation partner makes moves to disengage, make it easy for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Pay attention
<\/strong>Don\u2019t look over the shoulder of someone while they talk. It\u2019s rude, and it gives the impression that you are bored with them. Besides, if you remember the details of your talk, your next conversation will be easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Don\u2019t pick fights
<\/strong>This one should be simple, but I\u2019ve seen people suddenly launch into a speech about politics, sports or whatever to a complete stranger. You don\u2019t have to be phony or timid, but you need to remember you\u2019re there to learn, not teach. And tone is hard to interpret. You might think you\u2019re having a friendly exchange of opinions, but the other person thinks you\u2019re a jerk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally written by Dan Daly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re at a party, a conference or a chamber mixer. And admittedly, you\u2019re not a social butterfly. You feel more like a social caterpillar, wishing you could hide behind a leaf until the party\u2019s over. There are those who thrive on social situations. They know everybody\u2019s name. They tell great jokes. They have stories about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[13,5],"class_list":["post-1480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-media-public-relations","tag-perspective"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n