Tips for the socially awkward

[Clutterfreeintraining]

I'm going away for the weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday. There will be around ten families there but I only really know the host family.

I've been to things hosted by this (very dear) friend before and I seem to turn into the most socially awkward person on the planet .

There will be one or two others there who I've met before but don't know any of them well. Also, they all know each other.

Can anyone offer any tips to get me through the weekend?

Find a job to do so that you can concentrate on that, not your awkwardness.

For example, pitch in and offer to help with drinks, food, absolutely anything. This will provide a distraction from the pressure to make small talk. You will be able to converse briefly with everybody, and best of all, you will be percieved by the others as an outgoing, helpful sort of person, and not the weird shy one in the corner!

Excellent suggestion, thank you.

Find a baby to hold (if it would be helpful to the parent!)/children to play with/dog to pet. A glass of wine helps. Admitting you don’t know people is fine too. And yes to the helping- I nearly always end up washing or drying as it’s easier to chat whilst doing something else as well. Also people like talking about themselves - so listening well is a nice skill to cultivate.

Thank you - I hope some of your suggestions will be possible.

Fake it till you make it ?

But I don't know how to apply that to this situation

I'm ok-ish in one-to-one conversations. I can ask enough questions to get a conversation going but when there's a bigger group, I have nothing to say and it becomes awkward.