If you hear a song that you like or is popular, ask the people around you to dance. People may be hesitant at first, but if you get really into it and are having fun, they will want to join you. Don’t be afraid to take the first step! Choose a song that has choreography that many people know. For example, you can play “La Macarena” by Los Del Rio or “Footloose” and have people do the movements. If they don’t know them, you can teach them! Many parties will have alcoholic drinks being served so you can kick the party up a notch by initiating a drinking game. People will quickly loosen up and have fun once they start playing and drinking.  Start up a game of beer pong. Even if you don’t have a super long table, you can still have some fun and a little friendly competition.  Use a deck of cards to play king’s cup with a bunch of players. Make up your own drinking game. For example, if there’s a movie playing, make up a game related to the movie. You could have everyone drink whenever there’s a close-up shot or a kiss. If you spot a game of Twister on the shelf or you see a video game console set up, ask people to play a game with you. The host of the party may have set up some fun party games to play, so take advantage of them and be the life of the party by getting people to participate.  Try a classic game like charades if you don’t have any gaming supplies. Play “Never Have I Ever.” One person says something that they haven’t done, and if the other players have done it, they have to take a sip of their drink. For example, you could say, “Never have I ever kissed a fish.” If someone else has, then they have to drink!  If people are hesitant at first, no problem! Just start playing around and when people see how much fun you’re having, they’ll join in! If you have some weird or interesting skill or ability, use it to impress or get a laugh from people at the party. Party tricks can be cheesy, but that’s kind of the point. Have fun and show people any weird ability or silly trick that you know.  Try a card trick to impress people. Do some simple magic tricks  to wow and intrigue people at the party. For example, if you can curl or roll your tongue, ask people if they can do it and then show them how you can! Everyone loves food, so bringing some tasty snacks is a great way for you be fun and engage people. Put out your snacks when you arrive and while you’re at the party talking to new people, ask them if they’ve tried the snacks yet. Then tell them you made or brought them!  Make a cheese or a spinach dip to bring with you. Tell people they should try it! Bring some healthy snacks for people to eat as well. Try making a vegan queso dip to give people a vegan option.

Summary: Challenge someone to a dance-off. Play a drinking game. Initiate a party game and try to get people to play. Do a party trick that you know. Bring snacks for people to eat.


Receiving criticism can be really upsetting, but try not to respond while you're upset. Take some time to understand the circumstances of the criticism and collect yourself before responding. If you are expected to respond immediately in an upsetting situation, try saying something like, "May I have some time to process what you've said? I promise to get back to you shortly." Criticism of any kind can be hard to take, but it’s important to listen to exactly what’s being said, so that you understand the problems and can improve your work.  If confrontation makes you nervous or upset, it’s okay to ask for criticism to be sent to you in writing (as an email or revision request report) so that you can better process the information. Just make sure that you take the time to absorb what is being communicated to you. Even if you disagree with what’s being said, it’s still important to consider other perspectives and opinions, especially if you’re working in a subjective field, like art or politics. It can be hard to receive criticism, but it’s even harder to receive the same criticism twice, so be sure to take careful notes of what’s being said. Record any specific points of reference. For example, if you’ve just given a presentation and your project leader specifically criticizes the way you constructed your conclusion, be sure to write that down so you can avoid the same problem next time. Make sure you understand what the criticism entails. You won’t be able to improve if you don’t understand what’s wrong, so be sure to request clarifications or ask questions if you have any. Asking questions also shows that you want to improve and get the task right next time.   Make sure to ask questions in a positive and specific way. For example, “When you mentioned that my data tables were too busy, would it be better to separate the information into sub-tables or do I just need to adjust the presentation style, in terms of font type and size? Don't be afraid to ask for suggestions. You could ask "How can I do this better next time?" As hard as it can be to accept criticism, it’s still important to be gracious and thank people for the time they are taking to help improve your work. Even if you don’t feel thankful in the moment, you’ll be glad you said it when you see your skill level improve. Don’t waste time being upset or down about criticism. Instead, get to work right away. Do your best to incorporate the criticism into your revised work, so that you don’t forget what was advised. Once your revisions are complete or you have done your best to incorporate feedback, ask your boss or manager to quickly look over your work to check that you properly addressed the criticism. Not only does this show respect and a desire to improve, but it is also gives you time to develop and refine your skills without the pressure of a formal performance or subsequent confrontation about it.

Summary: Strive to avoid emotional reactions. Listen carefully to what’s being said. Don’t get defensive. Take notes. Ask questions. Say “thank you” at the end of the conversation. Begin revisions right away. Ask for an informal review of your attempt at improvement.


. Many people become self-conscious about their noses only when someone teases them about it. The best strategy is to ignore the teasing, as the teaser is just trying to get a rise out of you. Follow these steps to ignore teasing:  Play it cool: Don’t show any reaction to the teasing. Keep your facial expression neutral and don’t let your body show aggression. Zip your lip: Don’t respond with any verbal response, especially an aggressive response. Walk away: Leave the situation. This might be either physically leaving, by walking out the door, or mentally leaving, by turning away and engaging in another activity. Worrying about how your nose looks takes up valuable brain power. People will like you regardless of your nose if you listen to them.  One way to ensure that someone’s attention is not on your nose is to turn the conversation onto him or her. Everybody is proud of something, such as his occupation, family, church or beliefs. If you are worried that this person will notice your nose, listen closely to discover what someone is proud of.. Once you have identified a point of pride, compliment the person about that. If possible, extend it into a related friendly joke.  Focusing on other people can be challenging. Practicing this will take your focus away from your nose in social situations, make you feel more positive, and be more likeable to others.
Summary: Ignore those who tease you Redirect attention onto others.