HOW TO BE A GOOD HOST AND A GREAT GUEST.
Be bold with your guest list and invite people from different background. Rather than talking shop they learn much more about each other. Invite more guests than you can handle-people always drop out.
2. Send out invitations two or three weeks in advance. If the venue is hard to find, include a map, and if appropriate a note about parking.
3. Whatever the size of the party, put the start and finish time on the invitation. That way everyone knows when you are going to stop serving food and drink.
4. Make surer you answer the bell and greet the guest personally. Introduce them individually to other groups with a helpful prompt: "Bob, meet so-and- so, her children go to the same school as yours.".
5. If you are alone hosting the party, recruit a friend to look after the drinks. Shy people often find parties easier if they have a role to play.
6. If you take someone away from one group, replace them with another guest so that they don't feel abandoned.
7. I personally hate it if a hostess whisks my carefully chosen chocolates out of sight rather than letting people see by offering it around.
8. It's a friendly gesture to check whether there is something a guest can't east. Accommodate guests who are on a diet-don't press them into second helping and make sure thee is fresh fruit on the table.
TIPS FOR THE GUEST:.
1. It's not a nightmare- it's important to keep smiling.
2. Think ahead to possible talking points. You don't have to be an expert, but it helps if you have read the morning paper.
3. Bring someone else into the conversation before you slip away.
4. Party talk does not have to be clever. Keep a mental list of opening lines such as "How do you know our host?" or compliments like " I like that of yours".
5. Keep your medical symptoms to yourself.
6. Whatever you do, don't ask a professional for a free personal consultation. Limit yourself to an exchange of cards of phone numbers with a follow-up call the next day.
