Being curious about people is the easiest way to never be bored at a party.

Boredom in a room full of people is usually a sign you were waiting to be entertained. Everybody there has something they know more about than you do, and almost nobody gets asked about it. Two or three real questions turn a dull evening into an interesting one, and the work is much lighter than being the funny one.

Go in with a couple of questions you actually want answered rather than small talk. What someone is into at the moment, how they ended up here, what they have been doing all week. Then ask the follow-up, which is the part most people skip.