They're hard to find, quality wingmen. Despite this, you are also probably expecting a bit too much from the ones you are using. A wingman's mission isn't to get you laid; that's your job. A good wingman merely secures you the opportunity to convince a woman that a night spent with you is something she won't entirely regret in the morning, or at least make good enough conversation that she leaves her phone number with you before she leaves the bar. However, I feel it's my civic duty to finally reveal the sacred tradition of wingman.
Goose should always be running distraction, either keeping other guys busy or ensuring the homely friend is at least enjoying herself.First, there are two routes to take: the instigator and the initiator. The former is essentially the villain, be it creepy stalker guy by the keg, shallow narcissist who constantly needs to be the center of attention, or even horrifying asshole who defends all the wrong dictators in history and then calls someone at the party "thunder thighs." The instigator has a two-fold benefit: making you look better by comparison, and being able to spark conversation, generally starting with "What's up with that guy?" However, more often than not, this wingman is going back home to loneliness and Handrea.
The initiator route is generally more effective, and since you will sometimes get some random individual who is naturally the instigator at the party anyway, the initiator is the best way to go. It takes some cohones and charisma, but if you can find someone that has what it takes, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results. The initiator's job is to begin a conversation with someone and somehow work their friend (or the "Maverick" or "star," or any other title you wish to use) into the discussion. It may take time, but it will eventually happen smoothly.
A wingman's job isn't done until the star leaves the bar with the target. Sitting down on the job invites potential threats. Potential threats always loom closeGenerally, the initiator wingman needs to know several topics that the star knows enough about to hold a decent conversation with a person. This MUST NOT include politics, religion, philosophy, or online gaming. Good example topics are concerts or personal work/life experiences (road trips, etc). If at a party or other gathering, the wingman can then call the star over to join in the exchange; my personal favorite is, "Oh, yeah? [Maverick's name] and I were just talking about that earlier. (to Mav) Hey, [Maverick's name], what were you telling me about [the subject] again?" So the Maverick saunters over and joins in the conversation, and in the next five minutes, the wingman finds a reason to leave—returning to drop off a pair of beers so the two don't have to go anywhere for a short while—and continues to find other things to do. From here on out, Goose is running distraction, either keeping other guys busy or ensuring the homely friend is at least enjoying herself.
Surprisingly, it is significantly easier to be the wingman for your female friend. This way, you are approaching people of the same gender (guys), and they aren't initially defensive when you engage them. For example, after I find a guy for my female friend, I then get to distract the female star's competition, usually semi-attractive women trying to weasel their way into the star's conversation to hit on the star's target. It's quite easy to re-enter the initial exchange because I started it and I already know one of the participants. Placing myself between the competition and the prey, I keep the competition distracted as my female friend and her prey slowly back away. At this point, I can abandon this bitch and return to cock redirecting.
Bars, however, are a different ordeal altogether. Here, the competition for estrogen is fiercer and it is quite easy to get utterly shithoused. At these locales, you aren't so much starting discussions as you are steering them through avenues that welcome others to join, allowing the wingwomen of other groups to utilize your openings. This requires a bit of eavesdropping, then adapting the debates of your own friends in order to intrigue the women to join in. Once this has taken place, interruption from other groups is minimal, and you can relax your guard.
Through not technically required in the job description, there are other duties an exceptionally nice wingman can take upon himself. Keeping your star sober enough to perform or not making an ass out of himself is always appreciated, though usually not that night. Being the DD is nice, but this act removes the "I need to grab another beer" excuse to leave discussions, and now you need to find a new reason to leave conversations. Generally, this means going to talk to other people, leaving prey (or homely friends) with the feeling that they are boring or unimpressive, and that feeling should be reserved for your star's competition.