It’s that time of year when our calendars begin to fill with personal and professional events to celebrate the season. Make the most of the meet someone new opportunity by following these three simple guidelines.

Be Choosy Pick three people at the party that you want to meet and learn something about.  Don’t get trapped talking to whomever had the nerve to come and talk to you.  A polite “I need to go say hello to someone I haven’t seen in years” is an easy exit.

Reveal, don’t Interview You’ve got 30 seconds to make an impression and it’s not going to come from “so, what do you do?”  After you introduce yourself, share a little something like, “What I love about this annual fundraiser is…”, or “my favorite thing about the host and hostess is…”  This will introduce a great topic, put your “target” at ease, and in the first 10 seconds make you into a “person”, not a “stranger”.

Cut if Off. Don’t try to make an evening out of the conversation.  After five minutes, suggest you continue this conversation in the future and then move on — you both have other social commitments at the event and you have other prospects to explore.