How to be an O.G.
In all of my interactions nothing has earned me more respect and helped me make more connections than being an O.G. An O.G. is someone who people love to have at their events and who gets invited back all the time. So you may be asking yourself:
“How do I become an O.G.?”
You may even be wondering what an O.G. is. Well let me tell you.
An O.G. is . . .
an Outstanding Guest.
Not what you were expecting? I imagine you may have heard the term O.G. used in another way at some point, but for the purpose of this post I’m talking about something that a lot of people don’t think about. We often see a lot of advice on how to be a great host. You read articles about how to host your own dinner party or cocktail gathering, but I haven’t really seen much written about how to be a great guest at a dinner or an event and that has been one of the things that provided me with as much value if not more in some cases than hosting. So what are some ways to be the kind of guest who gets invited back?
- Respect everyone’s time – I always make it a point to get to the location a little early. This way the group is never waiting on me and in many cases I am able to connect with others who arrive early. This works really well at dinners as many times the person who gets to a dinner early feels awkward just sitting by themselves and waiting for the others. By being there I can help make them feel comfortable and in some cases get a few quality minutes in with the host before everyone else arrives.
- Help the host - There are usually things that haven’t been taken care of when you first arrive. Chairs may not be set up; name tags may not have been distributed, etc. By getting there early and offering to help with those things you can get a chance to build a better relationship with the host and you also are showing that you appreciate the invite and that you are not just there to take. You’re also there to give.
- Pass the mic - In most of the gatherings you attend there will be an opportunity to speak. It can be alienating to the other guests if you dominate the conversation with self-promotion. Keep your description of what you do short and if you can, find something that you have learned to include in your introduction. You’ll be teaching others and encouraging conversation later on. This requires taking a moment while you’re speaking to look around the room. If you notice everyone has been quiet for some time, it may be a good idea to pass the talking pillow.
- Give to the guests - Think of ways you can be helpful to the other guests. Can you provide an introduction for someone else in the room? Can you help with some advice or share a resource? When you make giving the focus of your interactions the other guests enjoy being at the event and you have made the host look even better. If people describe the event as being helpful to their business and you were a part of that, they’ll want you back.
- Partake in the goods but don’t take advantage - Many events will have things like free food, drinks, etc. It’s easy to think that all of these things are just gifts from the gods, but someone somewhere is paying a bill. Make sure that you don’t overdo it when it comes to these items. You can have a drink or two, but five might be excessive. Enjoy the food, but don’t clear the plate before anyone else gets there. Respect the gifts you are being given and you’ll be the kind of guest people want back.
Feel free to comment below on ways that you can be an O.G. at your next event.
I look forward to hearing about them.
Excelsior!
