[quote]On 2012-01-21 18:49, jay leslie wrote:
Nothing opens the door better (IMO) then pretending to see something on a persons shoulder, rolling a ball off same and asking
"Did you come in with this or were they passing them out at the door?"

Good one Jay. John Carney uses a similar approach. In his book Carnycopia, when he's with a standing group he starts by asking "Can I borrow that?" While they're wondering what it is he's referring to, an imaginary ball becomes real and the routine begins. I tried this recently at a cocktail party and it works surprisingly well. Name tags are a big help — "Mike, can I borrow that?" Now it's about him, not here comes the magician.