It’s that time of year again. Here are six tips for making your office holiday party a bit more enjoyable.
1. Invest in five minutes of name preparation. Take a few minutes to review names of key people before the party. Try to remember Sarah and Beth who worked on the Gatorville project with you. And Jim who did you a favor a few months back. Especially Steve, because you forgot his name last year and swore that you’d remember it next time.
2. Cut back on the eggnog. Abstaining from alcohol at the holiday party won’t guarantee flawless conversations, because communication is fundamentally imperfect and some slips and flubs will naturally occur. But scaling back on the sauce will usually prevent egregious comments and ill-advised disclosures, like telling your boss you didn’t realize how attractive his wife was, thanking a client for all the easy money her company gave you this year, or telling a colleague that you gambled away your holiday bonus last weekend in Vegas.
3. Let talkers talk. Party conversations are often tiring because it takes mental energy and concentration to change your communication style as you move around the room. If you get temporarily paired up with a talker, let him or her talk for a while before you move on. Enjoy the breather, because the next person you interact with might need you to pull more of the conversational freight.
4. Aim for a small number of conversations. Don’t try to talk to everyone at the party. Say hello to the people who are important to you, especially if you see them infrequently, and be content with a small number of higher-quality conversations after that.
5. Don’t let your eyes wander. Pay attention to the person in front of you. The conversation you are having right now is the most important one, so don’t scout your next conversation while you are in the middle of your current one. When the conversation runs its course, or when you are ready to move on, tell the other person you enjoyed catching up and make your exit.
6. Enjoy the people you meet and the conversations you have. Scale down your communication expectations and enjoy the conversation at hand. Most people are genuinely trying to have a good time, so put that conversational wind at your back and enjoy all that’s right about the gathering (like the free food and the good people).
Follow these six communication tips to catch a bit more of the holiday spirit at your company holiday party.
Originally posted on mouthpeaceconsulting.com.