By Rozie Juma

Cocktail parties can be great or awful. You see, when a person who is not good at socialising is faced with myriad new faces, it becomes a problem. The challenge many people have is breaking out of routine and venturing off to meet new people.

These simple rules can help you mingle more easily:

  • When you introduce others, make a connection so that the new acquaintances can easily converse. For example, “Renee, I would like you to meet Tom. He moved here recently from Mombasa and previously worked for Uzuri Telkoms. Isn’t that where you did your internship?” The conversation then begins.
  • It is easier to approach a group of people if you know one of them. When there is a moment of silence, greet your acquaintance and introduce yourself to the others, then comment on the conversation you listened to before joining in. If you do not know anyone in the group, make eye contact with one person, and join in the conversation when an opportunity arises. You can introduce yourself once you have started interacting with the group.
  • Always hold your drink on the left side so that you do not offer people a wet or cold handshake. And in case you are wearing a name tag, it should be on your right side because whenever you shake hands with other people, their eyes naturally look to your right.
  • To spice up your conversation, there are many topics to pick from: How you know the host, something unique a guest is wearing (for instance, commenting on an interesting piece of jewellery could lead to a holiday story about the place from which the piece was bought), the food, an upcoming national event (such as plans for Mashujaa Day), where you work, where they work, among many more. When you get to a point of silence and you have nothing to say, ask questions (the more reason to be up-to-date with current affairs).  Avoid some topics at all costs: Health, diet, money, religion, politics, sex, racist remarks, sexist remarks, and so on. When unsure about something, do not mention it.
  • Since the initial idea is to mingle, you can leave a conversation as easily as you enter one. Simply say, “It’s been wonderful talking with you” and make your exit. Cocktail parties are just like any other activity, thus practice makes perfect. The more you attend them, the easier it becomes.