Make plans ahead of time regarding whether you will stay together the whole time or if you plan to split off. Having a friend can be a great way to get started at the party, but you may not want to be stuck together the whole time. Plus you will avoid hurting each other’s feelings if you decide ahead of time that it’s okay to separate while you are there. You will also want to make sure of the plan on when you will leave and if you’ll go together or not. Keep in contact so you know if the other person is ready to go.
Catch the eyes of a couple of different people when you first arrive. Smile and wave at them. Give them a gesture that says, “I’ll come talk to you soon. ” Establishing a couple different people you want to talk to can make it easier than waiting around for people to come to you. Parties are also a great place to meet some new people or make connections with people you rarely see or talk to. Think of the person you have multiple classes with but you never get much of a chance to spend time with. Parties are the perfect place to have a first conversation that can lead to friendship down the road. It is also always good to find the host quickly, since they are most likely the reason you are there. Tell them thanks for the invite or mention what a great party it is. You can also ask them if they need help with anything.
If you don’t have much party experience, you can be honest with this person and ask them to help you get the most out of it. Ask them if they can introduce you to some people or maybe show you around the party. It’s okay to let people know you are new to the party scene. Once this person has shown you around a little and you get more comfortable, you can then use what they have given you and start to become the person who helps others get used to it. Seek out people who are on their own and pass on the favor of getting them into the mix of meeting people and mingling.
If you go through the whole party trying to focus on everything that is going on, you won’t actually experience any of it directly. Allow yourself to forget about all the extra stuff that’s around you and enjoy the thing you are currently doing. Once you find someone and are hanging out with them, don’t look around the rest of the room to see what everyone else is doing. Pay attention to only what you are doing, at least for a while.
Plus, if the party is rowdy at all, there’s always the chance you could lose or break your phone and you don’t want to do that.
If there is an iPod or something playing, see if you can play DJ for a while and pick the jams for everyone to dance to.
If you have been in one place for a while, mention that you are going to check out another room or go outside. You can specifically mention someone that you want to go talk to, or you can say you are going for food or a drink. The people who you are talking with will be less likely to think you are just ditching them. They may even think that you are more important because you have other people you plan to see. It may feel more comfortable to stick with the location and group of people that you already secured, but being the life of the party means being seen by more people. Later on, the guests will most likely not remember the person who sat on the couch the whole time, but they will remember someone who they saw moving throughout the entire party the whole night.
People want to have fun at parties, and while that may involve just drinking and hanging out, a lot of people also want something active to do. If you start up a fun trend that everyone ends up getting really into, you’ll be looked at as someone who is fun to have around. This may seem a little risky and it may take a little extra courage, but the payoff of getting people to have more fun can really be worth it.
If people are dancing, dance. If there is karaoke going down, hop up on stage. People will probably not remember the party guests who sat on the sofa the whole time, but they will remember those who were involved in the happenings. Don’t try to be someone that you aren’t, but take the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone. Say yes to things you normally wouldn’t (but still be responsible).
You can start with a simple greeting, but add something specific as well. Instead of saying, “What’s up?” try saying, “Hey, how long have you been here?” Or, “Hey, what have you been doing since you got here?” Anything that gives the conversation a place to go besides both people saying hello.
Find some common ground and share your thoughts on the topic. Ask them if they are a movie buff, know any obscure facts, or have a talent that most people don’t. If they don’t readily have something, offer a story of your own like something unusual that happened on a family vacation. Interesting conversations will involve more than talking about school or just what is happening at the party. Use your imagination to think of topics.
Ask them, “If we made some advancements in space travel and found a planet just like earth, would you be willing to go live there?” Or say something like, “You know, I’ve read some news stories fisherman who pull out these fish that no one can identify. Do you think there are still creatures living in the ocean that we don’t even know about?” The possibilities for interesting conversations are endless, but you have to be willing to give it a shot.
