It may seem obvious, but if you are going out to a party you want to
shower as
close to the event as possible. A morning shower will not be enough for
an
evening party, even if you just spend all day in an office.
Be careful with cologne and perfume. A little goes a long way and what
may
smell nice to your spouse may not go over so well on your boss.
The bad thing about odor is no one will tell you if you stink, but they
will
tell other people. Play it safe. Shower immediately before and keep
odor
enhancement to a minimum.
Speak Up
When you make eye contact with someone do not stare and wait for them
to say
something. Speak first. Break the ice by giving your name or ask how
they know
the host.
Those who simply stare silently and smile may think they are just being
shy,
but it's actually a little creepy and they wind up looking like psycho
stalkers.
Read Up
Opening a conversation with "so, read any good books lately?" may seem
lame,
but a variation of the language actually opens up a lot of common
ground.
If you have enough time, find out what the best selling book is and
read it
before going to the party. Odds are you'll find someone else who has
read it
and you'll have something to talk about.
If you do not have the time to read a whole book, read the newspaper
from that
day, particularly the sports page. Find out how the local team is doing
and
start a conversation with that.
If you are a sports neophyte, find a quirky news story. National pieces
like
exploding frogs in Germany or Beluga Whales in the Delaware River are
excellent
conversation starters.
Be careful though, because not all news is created equally. If you are
new to a
crowd, and you do not know how people would react, it is best not to
start a
conversation with political or religious news.
If you don't like to read, at least get caught up on the most watched
television show. But as our society becomes less and less one of
reading, those
who read are often thought of as interesting. It's best to shut the
television
off and pick up a newspaper.