Got a Social Event Tonight

Going to dinner and then to a holiday craft fair with friends tonight.  One of my biggest problems in groups like this is staying focused on the person I'm talking to.  When in a group, with multiple conversations going on, I have this tendency to go into a monitoring mode in which I constantly scan all the conversations.  I'm not sure why I have so much trouble focusing on the person in front of me, but I've been like this far as back as I can remember.  Sometimes the person I'm talking to notices.  I will often pull back from the group and drop out of any conversation because it's easier on my brain.  I'm more aware of this now than I have been in the past and will try some stuff tonight to see if I can beat this.  I'm going to try telling myself that I don't need to monitor the group.  I'll also try focusing on something about the person I'm speaking to.   I'll let you know how this goes.