7 Tips on Overcoming Social Awkwardness

You don’t have to get into an in-depth debate over the current issues of the economy or anything like that. For instance, when you are checking out at the grocery store, ask the checker if he/she is having a good day. You could also comment on something in the person’s cart behind you. Such as: ‘You know, I’ve often thought about trying those. What do you think of them?’

You’ll need to muster up some courage to improve your socializing skills. Being a rather shy person myself, I find it hard to force myself to engage with a complete stranger, unless he/she makes the first move. It helps to take a deep breath and dive right into a conversation with someone you’ve just met. You will be surprised at how easy it is to talk to someone if you don’t give yourself time to chicken out.

Getting to know people and chatting with perfect strangers is going to be one of the quickest ways for you to overcome the social awkwardness you might feel. There’s no secret handshake or code word you need to know. Simply introduce yourself and see where the conversation goes from there. It might take only a single comment to get someone started talking and it’s generally much easier for you to engage in a conversation when you aren’t the one thinking of all the things to say.

Try out some opening lines on friends to see what they think. They will be able to tell you if you come across as cheesy or a creeper and surely they can help you come up with something good to say. Invite a bunch of friends over for dinner and practice your conversation skills. It will help if you happen to have a friend who is a bit outgoing. You might spend a day with this friend and see how he/she interacts with others.

Clinging to one person won’t help you overcome any level of social awkwardness you might have. You need to mingle and communicate with multiple people. This will give you a chance to experience a variety of personalities and possibly even pick up a few tactics others use to engage in conversation. The more people you introduce yourself to, the more potential there will be for a friendship to develop.

Talking to the wall behind a person is no way to make a good impression. You need at least a small amount of eye contact, especially when you are speaking to someone. The more eye contact you are able to comfortably make with someone, the easier it will be to talk to that person.

Don’t plaster a huge awkward grin on your face in order to appear more at ease. Chances are this grin will make you look like you are constipated or in some sort of pain. If you make eye contact with someone, then smile a little, just so they know you acknowledge them. Sometimes this can lead right into a conversation.

Out of these 7 tips on overcoming social awkwardness, which one do you feel is the most helpful?

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