The Art of Mingling

There's nothing wrong with being the strong, silent type. In fact, there's an old saying that goes "...It's better to keep your mouth closed and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt..!" The thing is, at some point you're going to be in a situation where you're going to have to open your mouth. Words are gonna have to come out. Maybe it'll be an open house, or an office party. Whatever the moment, some small talk "Do's and Don'ts can always come in handy.

Believe it or not, there's a right way and a wrong way to mingle. I have spent year mingling the wrong way or not at all. When I finally figured out how to mingle effectively it was like a revelation. There's also a great little book called "The Fine Art of Small Talk" written by Debra Fine (www.debrafine.com) that I have found to be wildly helpful. But stop there - there are plenty of resources for mingling on the net.

But I'm here to mingle not to ramble. So let's start working the room shall we?

So there you are...you've just arrived at whatever social function it is you are attending. DON'T just stand there waiting to be introduced. DO take a deep breath and go around and introduce yourself. At the very least say "Hello". If there was ever a good jumping off point in a conversation and mingling...a basic greeting is it.

And speaking of which, as you walk around the room....DON'T be afraid to shake hands. DON'T wait for the other person to shake hands first. DO smile; give a firm handshake while looking at the individual in the eye.

Once you've broached the "hello" part....DON'T rush through your introduction. It's a social function for cryin' out loud, not a mini-interview in an elevator. DO take your time while mingling. Try to remember names and use name through a conversation. Having established that, DON'T begin your introduction beginning when you were 5 years old. DO be concise...a minute or two is more than enough to make someone want to hear more. In fact, AFTER a minute or tow it's time to move on and mingle with someone new!