subject: Managing Your Shyness - Tips to Get Over Being Shy [print this page] Managing Your Shyness - Tips to Get Over Being Shy
Is your shyness keeping you from developing meaningful relationships? Being shy can be a very frustrating personality trait to deal with. As much as you want to develop strong friendships with new people, you still become nervous around other people and have difficulty having meaningful conversations. To help overcome your shyness, here are a few shyness tips that will aid you in meeting new people and have the fulfilling life you desire:
Listening Skills - Take note of the skills you already have, but may not have been aware of. Being that you probably haven't done a lot of talking while in groups of people, you have been doing a lot of listening. Grasp a hold of your ability to be a good listener. Being able to have really meaningful conversations involves serious listening. There are many people who, instead of listening to the other person while they talk to someone, are busy thinking about what they're going to say next. You aren't going to be that person, and others that you talk with are going to appreciate you for it.
Start Small - Try going up to random strangers and ask them one question. However, when they give you the answer, ask a follow up question. This may induce the other person to start a conversation. What you're looking for are questions that you're not expecting. This way you will have to act on your toes and this will help you develop who you are as an individual. The spontaneity of the exercise will require you to be creative, thus forcing you to get over your shyness. Remember, this isn't going to be easy, but the end result IS worth working for!
Body language - Learn to recognize your own body language, and how others may be perceiving you. If you sort of turn your shoulder toward people, you may be coming off as standoff-ish. You want to make yourself seem approachable if you're going to be able to get over your shyness. Open up your shoulders and casually face people. Make eye-contact with the person you're talking to. People like to know that you're paying attention to them, and looking at them in the eye gets the point across. However, stay relaxed and remember to blink. Nobody likes some creep staring at them - Breath...
