Awkward…Some Conversational Tips

[cathschaffstump]

Hi guys! I'm off to the State Fair this weekend. Time to make the pilgrimage to see the Butter Cow, which is a requirement to stay in the state of Iowa for more than five years at a pop. Actually, my mother-in-law loves the State Fair, and we're trying to make her "vacation" with us a little more fun than she had last year. I think this should do it.

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I haven't mentioned yet how very impressed I am with ReaderCon's reversal concerning Rene Walling. That's democracy in action, right there, folks, not to mention social responsibility.

You know that this sends out some ripple effects. Two of the Names in SF that I Read have commented on how to do better in convention scenarios. Not that I expect creepers are reading, but still, good sound advice.

One of the things that keeps coming up in Scalzi's response thread is this: how do I know that these people are not being just awkward. Well, probably you can tell. Here's a pretty intense article discussing this very thing. And I do mean intense, so go with your trigger defense up.

All that said, one of the questions asked is about social awkwardness. I am NOT conflating predatory behavior with social awkwardness, but I do want to talk a little bit about meeting and greeting new people in less awkward ways.

After all, we all do want to get along. So, take this as advice on how to be more desirable in a group of people, and as no commentary on tolerating predatory behavior, which it is most definitely not.

You may wonder what makes a suave, sophisticated woman like myself capable of offering such tips? True confession time. I have been, at one time in my life, as socially awkward as they come. How could you not be with my background? And here are some things that I learned over the course of my life that have saved me from the abyss. This is far from complete, but it might get you started.

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Mirrored from Writer Tamago.