Embarrassment can make a minor error feel like a complete introduction.

In the moment of a small mistake, it feels as though it has told the room everything about you. Everyone else has one item of information and a short memory, while you have a lifetime of context and a vivid replay. The mismatch is what makes embarrassment so out of proportion to its cause.

Ask yourself what you remember about other people’s slips from last month, and notice that the answer is usually nothing. The next hour of ordinary behaviour does more to correct an impression than any amount of going over it.