Socialite Nina Griscom, who averages three parties a week, is so often held hostage by boring chatter that she has devised escape strategies, among them excusing herself to make a business call and pulling a friend into a conversation. "I like the buddy system," Griscom says. "I'll use a friend as a buffer to avoid a situation, or as a foil when I'm in one." Lesley Carlin, coauthor of the Etiquette Grrls books, suggests an artful dodge. "If someone is going on about soccer, ask a personal question, like 'How did you get interested in sports?'" she says. "You may find he once lived in Argentina, and suddenly you have something to talk about." Alex Blumberg, a producer for the radio show This American Life, relies on similar interviewing techniques. "If a person makes a throwaway comment about politics, I'll challenge him by saying, 'Really? I don’t see it that way,'" he says. "Or I scratch the surface and ask him what he really thinks — that's when it gets interesting."