Christmas is the season of awkwardness, and the apex of that has got to be the company Christmas party. Take all of a person’s colleagues, higher and lower, and put them in a room with alcohol- it’s like a minefield for uncouth jokes and uncomfortable silences that contrary to popular belief, don’t get better with increased consumption of punch. Basically, it can be a really great way to make a bad impression on your boss.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to those people who make it their jobs to help you not lose yours – social networking and image specialists.
“The most important things is to be aware of the fact that it is still a professional event,” said Ondřej Rak, who works at ImageLab, a training and consultancy firm . “You are still on the job, only the setting is different. You are expected to behave less formally, but do not fall into the trap of behaving like you’re at a party with your friends.”
Exhibit A: Don't do this
So that means, do not take it upon yourself to start up a beer pong tournament, or go around challenging people to shots. Do not play strip poker. Do not make inappropriate jokes about anyone’s family members, and even when it just seems so right, “that’s what she said” jokes are generally not acceptable.
What you should do, though, is start up conversations with people you have things in common with, he said, and don’t get too panicked if there are some gaps in the discussion.
“Have some questions ready,” Rak said. “Talk about common hobbies, music, sports or common job successes… Make yourself comfortable, but respect others’ well being and boundaries.”
There are some among us whose holiday obligations go beyond just our own companies – for those who might be invited to other Christmas parties with potential business partners, the amount of invitations can be overwhelming.
“I think it’s really about choosing who do you need to meet,” said Silvia Bušniaková, the senior manager at the British Chamber of Commerce in Prague, who is in charge of strategy for networking events, social events and leads the networking working groups. “Is there a business potential or not?”
Most importantly, it’s necessary to determine at what parties you really belong, she said. The last thing you want to do is be overly ambitious or not judicious enough that you end up at a party out of your playing field.
“You don’t go to parties where you simply do not belong – if you do, it’s much more difficult to create a conversation,” she said. “If you’re in the target group, then the party just goes with the flow.”
Comments are closed.