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Are you uncomfortable entering a room full of people, feeling as if they’re all checking you out and talking about you? This is called the spotlight effect and apparently, according to research, people typically pay about half as much attention to you as you think they do.
So you mustn’t worry, the spotlight effect exists only in your mind and you have the power to redirect it.
At any social event set yourself small practical tasks:
What colour is the wallpaper?
Sounds funny, I know but it’s an easy way to direct your thoughts away from your social anxieties and to start focusing on your environment instead.
What are people wearing?
Come away with three people’s names, where they live, what they do and one thing you’ve learned from each conversation.
What do you want to take away from the evening?
Try to make real connections by offering to fetch people a drink, introducing people to one another or by asking them what they like and what they think about certain things. Engage people on a deeper level.
I read once somewhere that: ‘We’ve been invited not only to have a good time, but to make sure everyone else has a good time, too.” I think that’s true and it shows that the person that invited you valued your contributions during past get-togethers.
YOU’RE HERE NOW – SO GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT!
Read also:
THE CASE OF THE OPINIONATED MIND
8 STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR PERSUASIVE SKILLS
TOP TEN FACTORS THAT MAKE A RELATIONSHIP WORK
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