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How to... Be a proper guest at a party

A good guest responds promptly to the invitation, arrives fashionably late, is cheerful and friendly, and isn't the last one to go home

From How To Do Just About Everything in the Office in association with eHow (Collins, £9.99)

Steps

1. Reply to the invitation in a timely manner. Use the method indicated: phone, post or email.
2. Bring a friend only if you receive an invitation for you and a guest. Your hosts may have a food, budget or space limitation.
3. Go with the spirit of the party. If it's for a special occasion, such as a house-warming, bring a gift. If it's dressy, wear your glad rags. Costume required? Dig into your wardrobe and get creative.
4. Prepare. Read up on current events; think of a few good stories; recall a few films, books or plays. Try hard not to be shy or moody - for your host's sake, if not your own.
5. Arrive reasonably close to the starting time. The starting time for a cocktail party tends to be looser than it is for a dinner party, which requires punctuality. Fashionably late means no more than 30 minutes past the indicated time.
6. Seek out your host or hostess and say hello as soon as you arrive.
7. Make an effort to mix and mingle cheerfully. Don't just hide in a corner chatting with people you already know.
8. Know your alcohol limits and don't exceed them. Take into consideration your energy level, food intake and drink size. Nothing's ruder than ruining a party with inappropriate behaviour.
9. Treat your host's home as you would your own - no wet glasses on the furniture, no cigarettes ground out in the plants, no cocktail sticks on the floor. Don't smoke without asking permission.
10. Leave at a reasonable hour. Some hosts close the bar half an hour before they want the party to end. Take a hint when others start slipping on their coats.
11. Find your hosts to say thank you and good night personally. It's also thoughtful to call the next day and let your host know how much you enjoyed the event.

Tips
If you know your hosts, you might call and ask about the dress code, if the invitation doesn't make it clear. Or ask another guest who's attending. Unless it's clear that this is not necessary, bring something to drink, whether or not 's alcoholic.

Warning
Never arrive early; your hosts may not be ready to receive guests.

Why not chat to other iVillagers about office parties and other work related issues, on the Life In The Work Place message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions taking place on the message board right now:

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