Episode description

“When you host a lightweight cocktail party, you now have a way to go through life, collecting these new and interesting people and bringing them into your world…You use these parties as an audition to see who you would like to become better friends with.” — Nick Gray, creator of “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party”

Whether you’re new to a place or getting on in your years, it can feel increasingly hard to make friends. But Nick Gray has devised a blueprint to change that, outlined step-by-step in his book, “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party.”

Nick’s essentially created a system that’s like an audition for who gets to be your friend. It’s a way to turn even introverts into super connectors. And it's proof that when you stop being too cool to care, you’ll start connecting with people for real. 

At the heart of Nick’s formula is the art of curating who gets to be invited to these highly structured IRL events. In this episode, Nick deconstructs his approach to curating people for parties with solid results. It’s a great one for anyone who wants to go from being a party pooper to a party planner.

Highlights, inspiration and key learnings: 

• Nick’s 2-hour cocktail party formula (N.I.C.K.) in a nutshell
• Curating people for chemistry
• The importance of name tags and icebreakers
• Curating conversations, especially in “the awkward zone”
• Effectively maintaining the ties you’ve cultivated

👋 Say "hi" to Nick. 

🔎 Browse the companion Storyboard to get the episode, plus Nick’s curated culture picks and more about his newsletter and book.

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