JAY: I might need to know more about the specifics of the situation, before I can make meaningful commentary on it.

However, because group dynamics are already present (no matter where) when either a known or an unknown person appears --- I'll take a stab at answering the question.

People who have momentum, who are going about their own business, who don't seem to wish to interrupt, and who don't appear to be curious onlookers or busybodies --- seem more "natural" and create less apprehension or guardedness among those who were already comfortably part of a particular setting.

Hmmm. Maybe that was a little long-winded. I probably meant to say that one needs to quietly blend in, even if merely passing through a room. Self-consciousness and the art of blending in are mortal enemies.

Can you imagine Sherlock Holmes, hot on the trail of a suspect, being "self-conscious" while he is scanning the carpet for signs of ashes? Of course not! He's in his element. And, no matter who's in the room, they will calmly accept him soon enough because he is not "out of place." He is utterly confident, about his business, being himself.

I think, even if one were removing a dead body from a room, one could act either way --- with self-consciousness or with grace and confidence, and with a sort of built-in respect for whatever people already had going in that room before one entered it.

Remember....the people in a room have their own private universe until you walk in. Never presume to join it. Choose a path, to the food, or the drinks, or to the brochures, to the loo, or even to the exit. Stay on that path. Don't approach them. People have an unconscious trust of the self-contained. So that is your task, it seems to me, to become self-contained.

If you go into that room at all, know why you're there. Did you drop by to say hello to X? Did you pop in to congratulate Y on his recent success? Do those good things, while you are blending in quickly and quietly. Then leave. People will get very used to you very soon.

And, of course, you are not a tale-bearer, a gossip, a trasher of others, loud and attention-seeking, or someone who walks up to groups and makes it difficult or impossible for them to continue their conversation in your presence --- eh? No, I'm sure you're none of those. So you will succeed in getting people used to you easily. And in getting yourself used to being in your own skin.

Adieu