Getting beyond Hello is a practical and amusing book of advice and wisdom from Miss Mingle, who answers a variety of questions about social situations.

“Relax,” says Miss Mingle. It’s easy to avoid the “hell” in “hello,” deflect the unwanted greeting kiss, feel okay when you’re dressed all wrong, solve modern dilemmas such as meeting same-sex couples, and much more.

With an attitude that’s savvy, sympathetic, and delightfully down-to-earth, Jeanne Martinet gives you the game plan for relearning the lost art of socializing. Forget texting, IM’ing, Facebook, and Internet “relationships”. When it comes to building real friendships, there’s simply no substitute for live, in-person hospitality. In Life Is Friends, Martinet focuses on at-home entertaining–the dinner parties, cocktail parties, and informal get togethers that are the key to creating lasting, fulfilling interpersonal bonds. So read what Martinet has to say. And then, go ahead: Invite people over.

From the bestselling author of The Art of Mingling, an essential how-to for navigating today’s conversational minefields.
 
We are living in a new social era: The Powder Keg Era. These days almost every subject leads straight to politics, and the conversation goes straight to hell. In a nation that is completely polarized, with most of us continually pummeled by social media and the 24/7 news cycle, our social lives are taking a hit.
 
It can happen anywhere: at a friend’s birthday bash, a wedding reception, the gym, your local cafe, or your family Thanksgiving dinner. Even a group Zoom with colleagues or office mates can be dangerous. Suddenly, what began as a perfectly innocent chat about chocolate cake or seasonal allergies takes a bad turn, and you find yourself in an ugly argument about genetically altered foods or the healthcare system. Every day the tensions among us seem to be rising; the ever-widening ideological chasm is hurting our ability to communicate. So, how can we learn how to converse with people who are on the “other side”—without anyone getting hurt?
 
With an insightful and down-to-earth sensibility, bestselling author Jeanne Martinet offers a practical and encouraging guide to navigating conversations in our current social climate. She illustrates easy-to-learn techniques and strategies to help you: keep your mind open, know your own triggers, pick the best topics, change course to avoid disaster, be an active listener, master the ability to yield without losing, employ humor and storytelling to ease tension, go undercover when necessary, be a brilliant subject changer, and find common ground. She also provides important tips on knowing when it’s time to take up the gauntlet and when it’s better to make a graceful escape.
 
We have to keep talking to each other at all costs. Social interaction is a positive force that we need in order to thrive, individually and as a society, especially in today’s fractured world. Learning to mingle with the “enemy” is about figuring out how to have conversations with people that may make us afraid or angry. It’s about recognizing the presumptions—even prejudices—we all have when coming into contact with certain people.
 
With the ultimate goal of teaching us how to connect with each other more fully, Mingling with the Enemy furnishes a road map for successfully traversing any and all hostile territories—without anyone getting blown up.

A revised and updated edition of the classic guide to mingling. With fresh examples, new topics, updated advice, and her trademark wit and practicality, Jeanne Martinet hands over the keys to feeling at ease in any social situation.

Does the idea of going to a cocktail party make your palms sweat and your mouth go dry? You’re not alone: Most people suffer from minglephobia, a secret terror of large parties. Jeanne Martinet’s tried-and-true cure is her unique system of techniques and strategies for overcoming social fears. Now you can relax and thrive at any business or social event! Updated with dozens of brand-new field-tested tricks, tips, lines, and maneuvers, The Art of Mingling will teach you:

* Basic Survival Fantasies for the Truly Terrified
* The Flattery Entree
* The Fade In (and the Fade Out)
* The Human Sacrifice
* The Cell-Out
* The Hors D’Oeuvre Maneuver
* The Dot-Dot-Dot Plot
* The Quotation Device
* The Quick Change
* The Faux Pas Moi
* And much, much more!

Fully revised and updated-with Jeanne Martinet’s trademark wit and practicality, The Art of Mingling hands you the keys to feeling at ease in any social situation

Does the idea of going to a large party make your mouth go dry? Are you more comfortable on Facebook than face-to-face? You’re not alone: Ninety percent of the world suffers from minglephobia. Jeanne Martinet has developed a cure-a sure-fire system for overcoming fears and having a great time at any type of business or social gathering. Filled with simple techniques, tricks, tips, lines and maneuvers, and illustrated with entertaining examples, The Art of Mingling teaches you:

* Basic survival strategies for the Truly Terrified
* Opening lines and gambits that really work
* Tools and rules for keeping the conversation going in the right direction
* The all-important etiquette of escape
* Faux pas recovery techniques
* How to avoid the dumb use of smartphones
* The secret to being a good listener
* The right way to follow up online
* and much, much more!