From Wallflower to Social Butterfly - Five Tips to Shine at Holiday Parties from Posit Science
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When Dickens wrote that "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times," he must have been talking about forced-festive holiday company parties. For many of us, and our spouses, "holiday mixers" and company parties have to be jammed into a busy holiday work week. Most of us probably were lucky enough to have escaped them the last few years, when they went the way of budget cuts. This year, holiday parties have come back in force, causing those attending these mandatory events the added stress of plucking themselves out of their vase on the wall in order to make a winning impression. As partygoers we have to be polite, sharp, remember everyone's name, not delve into subjects that are even remotely controversial, and do it sober!
Five Tips to Shine at Holiday Parties:
- Read an interesting article or book that you can talk about or see an Oscar-nominated film.
- Keep your eyes open for someone with an unusual accessory.
- Improve your ability to remember names and faces by spending some time playing BrainHQ's People Skills exercises.
- Ask questions.
- Bring your camera.
Read an article, book or see an Oscar-nominated movie that you can talk about.
A little pop culture can go a long ways towards breaking the ice. Spend a few minutes reading an article that will give you something to talk about with new acquaintances. Alternatively, if you've read a book that is popular you could bring it up. Personally, whenever I'm around a group of women all I have to do is mention the words "50 Shades of Grey" and the conversations start.
Not everyone spends a lot of time reading magazines or books, but pretty much everyone watches movies. With the Oscars coming up next month many people are abuzz with the "must see nominations." Check one out! Even if your new acquaintance hasn't seen any, you can still give your recommendation. As a fallback, you can bring up your favorite classic comedy that you think everyone has probably seen.
Keep your eyes open for someone with an unusual accessory.
When you see someone who is wearing an interesting piece of jewelry or article of clothing and ask him/her where they got it. Topics like that usually spark a conversation and get the other person to ask you about something you might be wearing.
Improve your ability to remember names and faces by spending some time online with BrainHQ's People Skills exercises.
People will want to talk to you if they feel that you're genuinely interested in them, one way to do this is by remembering their names throughout the night. After a few sessions of Posit Science's BrainHQ exercises, not only will you be better equipped to pick up a conversation later in the night but you'll also be more able to recall the guests and the corresponding conversations when you run into them the following week or at the next event! Also, BrainHQ can help you hear better in crowded places, so you aren't left wondering what someone said. Visit BrainHQ.com to check out the People Skills games.
Ask questions.
People like to talk about themselves, so ask about them. How's the job going? Where are your kids going to school? How do you know the host? Did you see the game? Questions are the best way to get others talking and for helping the conversation flow along nicely.
Bring your camera. Let's face it, even when you're prepared with all of the above, some of us are just too shy to start conversations with strangers. A camera can give you a ruse to approach people. And, if you've decided the recently photographed are just not doing it for you, you have a perfect excuse to move on to the next victim!
Mor Nahum, PhD, is a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley, a Senior Social Cognition Researcher at BPI, and the design consultant for Posit Science's People Skills in San Francisco.
Contact:
Peggy Cramer Jara
Harden Communications Partners
[email protected]
510-635-4150
www.hardenpartners.com
SOURCE Posit Science Corporation
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