Towards being a more entertaining guest
Submitted by Merlin on January 24, 2008 - 7:34am.
Global Nerdy | How to Work the Room
Joey’s condenses some great tips on going from wallflower to party panda. Number one has always stood me in good stead:
“1. Be more of a host and less of a guest. Make introductions and make people more comfortable.”
Totally. Not to get all Burning Man on you here, but any event will only be as good as the people who actively participate in it. People who arrive waiting to be entertained are dead weight, while those who do more than the minimum to make things happen can bring the place to life.
Good trick for house parties: deliberately leave off a few light party preparations so that early arrivers can hang out in the kitchen and help. Wouldn’t you rather cut up carrots than stare at the clam dip feeling like a choad? Exactly.
Also, an old tradition at our house is to give gifts to the first 2 or 3 early arrivers. If you can go, “Hey! Here’s a cheap bottle of wine and ‘Travel Boggle!’” you make people feel more at ease. Then give ‘em a knife, and put ‘em to work.
- Merlin's blog
- 19892 reads
Isn't Everyone?
Isn’t everyone interested in the latest trends in wound care? (I’m a paramedic, so… yeah.)
My favorite tip is this: Say hello. If I don’t know someone at a gathering, I’ll march right up and say hi. After the first few minutes of weirdness, things usually go just fine. Waiting for an introduction takes forever sometimes, especially at parties where I don’t know a lot of the other people from other situations, events, or career-paths. Being the lone paramedic at an art museum wine tasting, surrounded by artists, art collectors, and art students can teach you many, many valuable skills. The ‘say hello’ is one of them.