Don’t Be Shy

Shyness can cause the ‘I don’t know what to say’ problem.  Where you are in a situation where you want to talk with the other person but don’t know what to say.  Either you have a total blank and no clue about what to talk about or you think they will think you are stupid so you say nothing and this awkward pause develops.

One idea to try is just to say what you think.   I have found that sometimes shyness will stop you from saying the small things because you are looking for that perfect thing to say.  Stop looking for it, there is no perfect thing to say, just say what you think. 

 Working example. 

This past week I had a conversation with a neighbour, an older women who I often saw out walking her dogs.   But this time, instead of saying nothing, I commented on how beautiful her two dogs were.   She stopped and smiled and told me the dogs names and we chatted for about 10 minutes.  If I waited to think of the perfect thing to say, I may never had said anything. 

Overcoming shyness is best achieved by taking baby steps and small conversations like this can be wonderful for increasing your confidence.  Just keep in mind that some people won’t be interested in stopping for a chat and this can be due to a number of reason that have nothing to do with you.