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The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties: An Irreverent Compendium of Must-Know Info from Sputnik to Smallpox and Marie Curie to Mao

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Overview

Banish awkward silences, boring weather talk, or (worst of all) the embarrassing conversation gaff with this pithy, hilarious guide to effortless party banter.

We've all been there. You're at a party, surrounded by the most important people in your life. You're cool. You're casual. You're witty and urbane. Until suddenly, quite unexpectedly, things take a turn for the worse when a subject thought to be common knowledge is lobbed your way. A hush falls over the room and every head seems to swivel expectantly in your direction.

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Author Information

Bio of David Matalon

DAVID MATALON is a film and TV screenwriter and is directing his first feature film in Los Angeles. CHRIS WOOLSEY is a freelance writer who has worked for Sony Pictures and Columbia TriýStar. Chris also tours the country as a youth speaker.

Bio of Chris Woolsey

CHRIS WOOLSEY is a freelance writer who has worked for Sony Pictures and Columbia TriýStar. Chris also tours the country as a youth speaker.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Random House

Filesize

1.24 MB

Number of Pages

304

eBook ISBN

9780767926386

Excerpt from: The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties by David Matalon

The sadly useful thing about the war conversation is that there's always some kind of bloodshed going on somewhere in the world, and so it's easy to bring up. Though military history has been traditionally a guy topic, these days it's quite likely that in a room full of people of either sex someone will have served or at least had a sibling, significant other, or "ex" who did. Certainly, if you're attending any armed forces related affair, familiarizing yourself with a few topics in the war conversation will help you win friends and get people talking. However, be mindful that you are likely to find a handful of Experts (see the Appendix, Who's Who at the Party) in the crowd who will give you a run for your military money. So once things are rolling, consider where to take the talk next. Generally, military buffs tend to like video games, sports, action flicks (war movies), and politics. It's worth noting, if you're dealing with people in the actual military, it's a good rule of thumb to stay clear of criticizing the government, unless you get the sense that the people you're dealing with have liberal, or at the very least, tolerant views.