E X P E RT I S E
5 ways to join a group conversation gracefully Can we loop you in? Your next round of holiday cocktail parties will be less awkward with these strategies for asserting— and inserting—yourself.
1 K A R E N C A SS I DAY
Ask open-ended questions. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they have to tell a funny story or make a pithy comment on current events, and that’s not true. You just need to ask an open-
Written by Liz Loerke Illustration by Ben Wiseman
DECEMBER 2016
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REALSIMPLE.COM
ended question. A good question, along with eye contact and a smile, conveys “I’m friendly, I’m approachable, and I’m interested in learning about you.” I work with clients who suffer from anxiety, and I tell them to write a few questions either in a note on their phone or on an index card. I particularly like TableTopics, which are these small cards with conversation starters that you can get on Amazon. They give you interesting questions that everybody loves to think about. Something like “If you had a million dollars to give away, what would you do with it?” That’s great because there isn’t a right or wrong answer, so people will freely share their opinions. Even better, once you ask the question, you don’t have to say anything at all!
