Social awkwardness isn’t an uncommon thing to suffer from. That horror like feeling you get when you walk into a room full of people you don’t know is something that many people experience on a daily basis. This being said, it’s not something that you can’t learn to overcome or get better at dealing with. Here are five tips for all of the socially awkward people of the world:
#1. SMILE!
While it may seem like a trivial tip it’s also one of the most effective ways to exude confidence (whether the confidence is real or not). Smiling has been shown to make people more comfortable around you and more likely to be pleasant when speaking to you. It’s a great way to get the metaphorical ball rolling in terms of relaxing in a room. This being said, we don’t want you sitting in the corner with an unwavering smile just staring at people so use this newfound (pretend) confidence to your advantage and go introduce yourself to someone else who’s smiling back at you.
#2. Work with the features you like the most.
Dressing in something that makes you feel good about yourself will ultimately make you more comfortable in whatever situation you’re in. This is when the age old saying of “look good, feel good” would hold to be extremely true. While it seems like a fairly simple and superficial idea, it’s pretty effective. Keeping yourself well-groomed and dressed in something comfortable for you will help you to keep your head held high and ready to intermingle a little more smoothly.
#3. It’s about who you’re talking to not how many.
Quality over quantity ladies and gents. This idea for many people comes as a relief. Instead of worrying about how many people you’ve been talking to, worry more about who you’re talking to instead. When it comes to business ventures it pays to be selective with who you’re choosing to give your time to so keep that in mind when you’re trying to decide who you should be striking up a conversation with.
#4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
While this may seem scary at first, in the long run it will only help. Before you go out, have a list of questions ready to go that you can pull from to start conversations, keep them flowing, and to help avoid awkward silences. Without even trying you’ll be able to learn a lot about the people around you as well as begin to ease your own nerves by getting to know them.
#5. Practice makes for easier conversation.
It might seem scary but the best way to conquer your feelings of social awkwardness is to practice your newfound tips in actual social situations. The more you get out there and talk to new people that you don’t know the easier it will continue to get. Practice may not make perfect but it will certainly make you more comfortable.