Here are five ways to make a holiday party enjoyable for everyone.
1) Leave Home Without It
Unless you visit like-minded people, leave your private cause at home. Avoid wearing pins that commemorate specific causes because these invite comments. Refrain from delivering editorials, lectures, or sermons. Remember: it's a holiday party. No one came to be fixed, changed, or converted.
2) Make Them Special
Encourage others to talk by asking friendly questions (e.g., “What are your plans for your vacation?”). Then let them be the expert, regardless how much you know. Let them be right, even if they seem to be wrong. Be impressed (or at least interested) with what they say. Remember: Appreciation is a gift that lasts a lifetime.
3) Detach
Avoid taking anything personally. Accept what people say, regardless of how outrageous it may sound. Avoid correcting, criticizing, or complaining. Avoid telling a better story. Ignore bait that lures you into saying something foolish. Remember: People respect those who manage themselves.
4) Talk Friendly
Offer compliments. Praise everything and anything, such as people's clothes, cooking, shoes, pets, new toaster, or front yard. Then be positive. Find diplomatic ways to express your ideas. Avoid sarcasm, satire, and criticism. Remember: People are attracted to warmth.
5) Behave
Avoid baiting people into arguments with comments on sensitive issues. Avoid subtle insults, trick questions, and unfair exaggerations. Avoid punitive stories that describe other people's failings. Remember: It is always a bad idea to start an argument.
Much success,
Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
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