Dear Reader,
Some people can walk into a room--without knowing anyone--and they're totally at ease. They move around comfortably, introducing themselves, and by the end of the evening they've made a lot of new acquaintances. This is not something that I can easily do.
Conducting a large meeting, that's not a problem because I have a specific purpose and task at hand. But circulating around a room, when I don't know a single soul in it, now that's a personal challenge.
I've read all the books about how to "work" a room. The conversation openers that the experts recommend sound so easy to deliver when I read them. I think, 'Yea, I can do that.' But when I'm put to the test--faced with the real thing--it's a lot more difficult.
I really don't think anyone else in the room realizes how I'm feeling; it's always been my own secret. People assume because of what I do, that I can roam anywhere with ease and sometimes that's true; I have felt comfortable. Things just naturally flowed and if I do say so, I was impressed with myself and people seemed to enjoy meeting me. But I've never been able to diagnose where my selected courage and ease have come from on those occasions. I guess I just decided ahead of time that it was no big deal, so it wasn't.
So why are there times when it's so uncomfortable for me to walk up to someone, introduce myself and say, "Hi, I'm Suzanne. It's nice to meet you." I'm a project-oriented person who believes that practice does make perfect, or at least makes a person more comfortable. So I've been practicing. Whenever I'm waiting at an airport, or a doctor’s reception room, if someone sits down close to me for more than five minutes they become my dry run--so to speak.
I don't know if this practicing idea will really work, but I've met some interesting people. In fact, they're usually so interesting that I forget myself, and I just have fun. And maybe that's the secret ingredient I've been missing. Forget "working" the room, and just talk one-on-one. Could it be as simple as that?
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
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