How to mix your friendship groups at a gathering
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From baby showers and hen dos to impromptu birthday celebrations, introducing new people is inevitable when hosting an event – but that doesn’t make it easy or stress-free.
In fact, new research from furniture retailer DFS has found that 33% of Brits worry about hosting different groups of people who don’t know each other, with as many as 22% avoiding mixing groups altogether.
The study of 2,000 UK adults by DFS, delving into the rising popularity of hosting at home, also revealed that these worries about mixing groups were much more common among women (38%), compared to men (29%).
To help those wanting to mix social circles successfully, DFS has partnered with body language and behavioural expert Adrianne Carter, who offers her top tips:
“Successful integration of different groups of friends involves understanding personality dynamics.
“A whole group of extroverts can offer a fun time, but with them all vying for the spotlight, it might make for an uncomfortable occasion – or there’s a risk they may clash, leading to awkwardness for everyone.
“Similarly, a whole group of introverts could create a tricky situation too. It’ll be hard to get conversations going and the atmosphere might be quite strained.
“Ideally, try to mix different personality types, as extroverts will help break the ice and help the more reserved personality types join in with conversations easily and naturally.”
Interestingly, millennials and Gen Z are the most open minded about mixing new groups of people. According to the study, a quarter of 18–34-year-olds say they enjoy mixing groups and look forward to different people in their lives meeting each other, compared to a national average of 16%.
Shedding light on how guests feel about interacting with different groups of people, the research found that some Brits do struggle with a fear of the unknown. When visiting or staying over at someone’s house, as many as 22% of Brits say they would find unexpected guests annoying.
Luckily, Adrianne has a solution to not only avoid potential upset among guests, but get conversation flowing before an event too, as she recommends:
“When bringing different friendship groups together, consider creating a WhatsApp group for everyone beforehand and start introducing each other in the group. That way, they have clarity about who is attending, can avoid the feeling of not knowing who else is present, and can even start to communicate and get to know each other before they meet. Try to highlight common interests that will spark conversations – something as simple as wine recommendations, dietary preferences, or music taste can help.”
To find out more about the research, as well as the ultimate guide to preparing your home to host, visit the DFS website.
