It can be easy to enter a house party or a networking event full of strangers and get overwhelmingly shy. Meeting new people is hard, and a knee-jerk reaction could be to hunch your shoulders and slink off into a corner. But you can act like the most confident person in the room, even if on the inside you’re counting backwards from 10 and warding off a panic attack. Never have the words “fake it ‘til you make it” been so relevant.
Below are tips on how to be the most confident person in the room.
Research the guests ahead of time: If you’re going to a networking event, there’s always a roster available of RSVPs. If you’re going to a house party, do some light Facebook snooping or ask the friend that’s hosting a couple of questions about the guests beforehand. And what’s the purpose of these Nancy Drew-like habits? This will help you avoid that moment where you awkwardly hover in the corner, unsure who to talk to.
Devise goals in your head: When you go somewhere with purpose, you zero in on making that goal, nerves getting displaced by determination. So instead of showing up at a dinner party with a tense smile and no target, give yourself a small mission to complete.
Use the people you know: While clinging to someone’s elbow is the opposite of a confident first impression, you can still be crafty and ask those that you know to introduce you around.
bustle.com
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