There's one skill I teach in Charisma University that almost everyone overlooks.

It's not eye contact, confident body language, or even knowing what to say.

It's silliness.

I know… not what you were expecting.

But hear me out, because once you see this, you'll notice it everywhere.

Watch what happens at most networking events or parties.

Everyone's trying to make a good impression, so they lead with their highlights reel.

The cool trip they just took.

The job promotion they're proud of.

They ask others the same things back.

And look, that stuff matters… feelings of admiration and respect do keep people connected long term.

But it almost never STARTS the connection.

What actually creates that initial spark?

A shared laugh.

I saw this play out yesterday at a mixer event full of successful entrepreneurs.

We walked into this enormous, beautiful home and immediately hit a dilemma:

Shoes on or off?

There were only a handful of shoes by the door but plenty of people inside.

My friend didn't overthink it.

He walked straight up to the first group, interrupted their conversation, and asked about the shoe situation…

Then he joked that he had made a mistake by not taking off his shoes as soon as he entered and was about to get bounced from the party.

Everyone laughed.

Just like that, the mood of everyone in earshot shifted.

And it became a much more playful vibe…

Most people fall into the same tired loop though:

"Hey I'm so-and-so, who do you know here, what do you do" - and wonder why the conversation feels like a job interview.

The willingness to deflate the air of "important people doing important things" is one of the most underrated social skills there is.

So next time you walk into a room full of people trying to seem impressive, find a way instead to share a laugh.

It usually works a lot better than you'd think.

If you want to go deeper on this and the other skills that actually move the needle socially, Charisma University is worth a look.

It's where I lay all of this out in a way you can actually put into practice.

Click here if you’re interested:

>>> Go here to check out Charisma University

Take care,
Charlie