Conversation Starters For Shy People

For shy people, starting a conversation with someone they have never met before, can be a nervous and uncomfortable experience. The problem is nearly always with the approach and opening comments. Once the conversation gets going most shy people generally start to relax and enjoy the moment.

So here are some ideas for conversation starters for shy people.

• Smile. That’s right you need to appear friendly and approachable before you can begin a conversation. A natural relaxed smile will always give the right first impression when meeting new people.

• Watch your body language. This goes along with smiling - you need to appear friendly and relaxed. Make sure you always project positive body language signals.

• Simply say "hi." To start a conversation with someone new appear confident and relaxed by showing positive body language, make eye contact, smile and say "hi." This is the first and probably most difficult barrier for shy people - the initial approach. Rather than worrying about what to say and letting the opportunity pass you by, simply smile and say "hi."

• Tell the other person your name to progress the conversation further. Comment on something interesting, maybe something the other person is wearing, a piece of jewellery or simply your surroundings. Your initial aim is to just make simple small talk.

• Ask open ended questions. These are questions that begin with "what, why and how". Open ended questions promote conversation by forcing the other person to disclose more information. For example instead of asking "do you like this party," which could illicit a simple "yes" or "no," ask "what do you like best about this party?" This will help keep the conversation flowing.

• Actively listen. Now this is an underestimated social skill. Actively listening shows the person that you are interested in what they have to say. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not a case of letting the other person talk why you think what to say! No, you must consciously listen and mentally take note of what is being said.

• Now when you get those awkward pauses in the conversation you simply go back to something the other person had previously mentioned and ask an open ended question. But you can only do this if you have been actively listening! For example, if you experience an uncomfortable pause you can ask something like "earlier, you mentioned you’d love to visit Asia. What interests you most about Asia?" And then the conversation has a tangent but is flowing again!

The point is if you want to overcome shyness meeting people you must take action. Stand up to your fears and move out of your comfort zone today! Start by simply smiling and saying "hi" to someone new whenever you have the opportunity everyday.

Life is for living so make it your goal to take action today!