Overcome the Behavioral Deficits of Shyness: Practice What to Say and Do
2. Develop conversation skills: How to keep talking
Shy people who have mastered the art of small talk can take the next step by developing their conversational skills (cf. Carducci, 1999). The trick to successful conversation is to have something to say. There are a number of very simple strategies that shy people can employ to make sure they have something to say. You can start by reading the newspaper or magazines and/or listening to information-based radio programs to such information sources is that they also give you the type of in-depth, "behind-the-headlines" analysis that is the basic substance of much social conversation. Shy
people can also do their part to help keep the conversation going by asking open-ended questions that require more than a yes or no answer (e.g., What do you think of . . . ?).
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