Part of what makes starting out in social situations difficult is that any strategy which is usually successful with some people will make others uncomfortable.

Part of what makes starting out in social situations difficult is that any strategy which is usually successful with some people will make others uncomfortable. I'd suggest it is almost an iron rule, since any especially successful strategy will probably be seen as manipulation by the minority of people who just loathe being influenced by others. Disagreeable people are out there (although they'd probably like to argue about that). So you being polite but embarrassed doesn't imply much. I think the better criticism, if we want to look for them, is that doing a magic trick only works because it is a novelty. If every interaction with someone new started with a magic trick it'd be even more bizarre than the social rituals we already have.