A successful, professional woman recently took to LinkedIn looking for advice on a scenario almost everyone can relate to: the dread and awkwardness of walking into a room full of strangers who all seem to know each other.

One of the most daunting social scenarios

Hallie Condon, a VP at Chili Piper, set the scene that’s at once perfect nightmare fuel for introverts or even confident, outgoing extroverts:

“Let’s say you walk into a room. You might know one or two people but they are busy in active conversations. Most other people at this event are in small groups chatting,” she writes. “I’m a grown woman with a successful career and walking into a room full of strangers already clustered up mid conversation still turns me into that kid standing alone in the middle school hallway.”

She adds that she’s not socially anxious and, in most situations, is quite confident.

“I can talk to anyone on Zoom, in chat, one-on-one. It’s really just this. The room that is already in motion, where everyone already seems to know where they belong except me.”

Everyone’s been there, whether you naturally thrive making small talk with new faces or whether it fills you with terror. It could be all the parents milling about before the PTA meeting, the cocktail hour at a business conference, or the neighborhood gathering that started with you.

It’s already difficult to confidently introduce yourself to new people, and it feels awkward joining a group that’s already mid-stream in discussing something you’re missing........

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