Moxiecast

You walk into a social event where you don't know anyone. Everyone's mingling - everyone but you. You're at the buffet, scoffing vol-au-vents, holding your plastic glass of pee-warm chardonnay. You glance around, wiping crumbs from your lapels. Nope. Still no one you recognise. You look at your watch, wondering how long to subject yourself to this low-grade humiliation. The temptation to pull out your phone is intense. It'd make you feel like less of a plonker. Five more minutes, you tell yourself. So you stand awkwardly next to the potted plant, reading the fire escape instructions. Dum-de-dum-de-dum. Moment by moment, you're emitting more desperate signals, and shockingly, no one swans over to engage you in conversation. You give a passer-by a watery smile, but no dice. I'm outta here, you say to yourself. I'm just not good at this socialising thing. That was as fun as a root canal. If any part of my intro rings true, today's conversation is going to be a game-changer. Karen Baker is a professional people-p