Try not to be boring at gatherings

A lot of people don't like going to social gatherings because they feel that what's likely to happen is that they might be left standing in a corner because they're too shy to start a conversation or even keep one going.

- Birjees Hussain

Or they think they might be boring. It really doesn’t seem like it’s enough to just smile, say hello and move on to the next person. On the face of it, yes it’s good manners to introduce yourself but if you're really looking to make an impression that will help you in the future that brief handshake and hello is not going to cut it.

There are plenty of gurus out there who will advise you on various opening sentences that will not only grab the other person's interest but also lead to other avenues of interesting conversation or opportunities. I reckon that talking about the weather or the heavy traffic won't help unless you use that opening to make another important point.

So how can you be certain that you're boring or not? And how can you overcome it if you are?