Short of handing out name tags and staging trust falls, how can I get people to start talking to one another?

One of your responsibilities as a hostess is to make introductions that help people find common ground: "Joe, meet Samantha. She enrolled her dog in obedience school, too." Traditional guidelines dictate introducing the "less important" person to the "more important" person, saying the more important person's name first. But etiquette authority Peggy Post, author of Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition ($40, www.amazon.com. ), says, "The most important thing is to make the introduction. Just do it! If you draw a blank on someone's name, don't use that as an excuse to skip an introduction. Just be honest and say, `I've drawn a blank.'" It also helps to appoint a friend to help get people chatting while you attend to other hostess duties.