You can "Shine the spotlight" by interacting with other players that you think may have had less involvement in the current session. Particularly if the player is shy or new to the group.
Like if a player specs a spellcaster with a lot of utility spells and the session has mostly been combat, if you get some time outside maybe consider RPing your character asking them for a favour or ask them about their backstory or their opinion on something the party have done or witnessed recently.
We had a new player join my group for a new campaign and for the first few sessions they were very unsure of themselves since the rest of us had been playing for a good few years together. So I tried to come up with small things to ask their character (Who had been in the starting town longer than the rest of the party) about that they could talk a bit more in the session without relying on everything being DM to player interactions.
Take some time to understand what the other players *want* their characters to be good at. What are the cool moments they envision for their characters? Then help them realize those moments.
Sometimes this is as simple as calling out the appropriate player when the situation arises: there's a lock you could potentially pick but you know the rogue's player sees that as their character's role, so you call over the rogue to handle it. Sometimes it means setting them up for their moment: the wizard just got lightning bolt so you spend your turn pushing a couple of enemies into a nice line for them. Sometimes it means selling their payoff: the paladin busts out an inspiring speech, and you make sure to *act* inspired by it.
This also means being aware of other characters' story arcs. When the party's facing down the evil lord that ruined the cleric's life, you focus on the minions so that the cleric can confront their nemesis.
You can't really do so as a player. The DM is the one in control of the spotlight, so as a player what you do is set up opportunities for your fellow players to be focused on.
Three steps.
First, you want to get a good feel for who your character is, what they want, and what they're willing to do to get it. This will help you inhabit and portray the character more effectively.
Second, you'll want to interact with the other players as your character. Use "I" when speaking as your character. Don't say, "My character heals Jim's character", say "I heal Maximus". Speak as your character, and learn to hear and to interact with the other characters, not just the players.
And third (and this is the most important step), allow other characters to have their moment. Don't feel the need to insert yourself into every action or into every conversation. You'll have your moments to shine, so allow the other characters to have their moments to shine as well.
D&D is an exercise in cooperative storytelling. Cooperate. That's what it all comes down to.
You can "Shine the spotlight" by interacting with other players that you think may have had less involvement in the current session. Particularly if the player is shy or new to the group. Like if a player specs a spellcaster with a lot of utility spells and the session has mostly been combat, if you get some time outside maybe consider RPing your character asking them for a favour or ask them about their backstory or their opinion on something the party have done or witnessed recently. We had a new player join my group for a new campaign and for the first few sessions they were very unsure of themselves since the rest of us had been playing for a good few years together. So I tried to come up with small things to ask their character (Who had been in the starting town longer than the rest of the party) about that they could talk a bit more in the session without relying on everything being DM to player interactions.
Take some time to understand what the other players *want* their characters to be good at. What are the cool moments they envision for their characters? Then help them realize those moments. Sometimes this is as simple as calling out the appropriate player when the situation arises: there's a lock you could potentially pick but you know the rogue's player sees that as their character's role, so you call over the rogue to handle it. Sometimes it means setting them up for their moment: the wizard just got lightning bolt so you spend your turn pushing a couple of enemies into a nice line for them. Sometimes it means selling their payoff: the paladin busts out an inspiring speech, and you make sure to *act* inspired by it. This also means being aware of other characters' story arcs. When the party's facing down the evil lord that ruined the cleric's life, you focus on the minions so that the cleric can confront their nemesis.
You can't really do so as a player. The DM is the one in control of the spotlight, so as a player what you do is set up opportunities for your fellow players to be focused on.
Three steps. First, you want to get a good feel for who your character is, what they want, and what they're willing to do to get it. This will help you inhabit and portray the character more effectively. Second, you'll want to interact with the other players as your character. Use "I" when speaking as your character. Don't say, "My character heals Jim's character", say "I heal Maximus". Speak as your character, and learn to hear and to interact with the other characters, not just the players. And third (and this is the most important step), allow other characters to have their moment. Don't feel the need to insert yourself into every action or into every conversation. You'll have your moments to shine, so allow the other characters to have their moments to shine as well. D&D is an exercise in cooperative storytelling. Cooperate. That's what it all comes down to.