Love them or hate them, the Christmas party is something that most of us can’t get out of. Your employers expect you to make an effort to have a ‘laugh’ with your colleagues and get into the spirit of Christmas…it’s just not optional.
So how do you survive the Christmas party, and make sure you come out on top?
1. Mingle
Yep – as daunting as the prospect can be at clique work do’s you really should make the effort to get to know other people. Maybe you have regular email or telephone contact with someone in a different department or building to you – this is a good excuse to get to put a name to the face.
You don’t need to do it alone. If you have a close workmate, why not agree to network together. That way one of you can rescue the other if things get a little uncomfortable.
2. Fake it till you make it
Unfortunately, the boring conversations and suchlike go with the territory so just suck it up. Practise your fake laugh at home so you don’t come across rude. If all else fails, time your getaways by getting someone to call or text you on the half hour. If there’s no one available, use the Fake-A-Call app. The Android Fake Call & SMS app goes a step further with text messages, too…the things we have to do to stay sane.
3. Don’t embarrass yourself
Whatever you do, don’t turn to drink to numb the boredom – especially if you’re prone to rude outbursts, dancing on tables, arguments and anything along those lines. Unless the Christmas do is also your leaving do, you will have to see and work with these people again.
4. Don’t be a bore
The safety crutch for many people is to talk about work when they fall into an award silence or don’t know how to start up a conversation. But you’re at the Christmas do – keep that up and you’ll soon find that everyone who comes to speak to you ends up giving an excuse to leave. Boring alert! Ask questions about them…like you would outside the work environment. People love talking about themselves…
5. Try to enjoy yourself
Sometimes a positive attitude can make all the difference to actually enjoying yourself. Go in with the mindset that you’re going to have a good time and you’ll surprise yourself.
