Your goal when telling a story is to convey something noteworthy about yourself in a way that is enjoyable to the other party or parties. You want for it to be a good time for them, and for it to reflect well upon you. This should be your primary motivation when you begin to tell a story.

Consider what about you makes you valuable as a friend, and whenever you're in a new social situation, think about which of your assets will most be appreciated by that group and work on conveying them. Do it early in the interaction and then move on to getting to know everyone else.

The way we interact with others is so core to our experience in life that we equate it to who we are. And there's some truth to that, too. How we portray ourselves to others will define their experience of who we are.

When you are introduced to someone or put into a social situation where people don't know you, your first goal should be to convey as quickly as possible what makes you interesting and worth knowing.

By ensuring that you're always a net addition, even if you're not a huge one, you will dramatically increase the number of events to which you are invited.

A socially skilled person is able to get along with people across all strata of society. Not necessarily every person, but every type of person.

People ask questions when they want to hear more from you, and stop asking questions when they want less.

Stories are best when they are brought up in context. That context can be time-based (“Guess what happened to me just now?”) or topic-based.

Someone who is comfortable interacting and befriending people in all strata of society will feel comfortable in nearly every situation, confident in his ability to add to any interaction of which he's a part. He'll have more opportunities to share what he knows with others, as well as the ability to learn from experiences that he may never have