How Do You Talk To A Shy Person?
• Approach in a non-threatening manner, with a smiling, friendly expression. Try to make eye contact, but don’t expect them to reciprocate, since looking someone in the eye can be very difficult for a shy person. Avoid walking up to them too quickly or suddenly, for this may appear threatening. Avoid smirking, sarcasm, and bringing a lot of friends (it makes you look like a gang). • Limit questions. It may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many people don’t seem to understand that shy people are afraid of talking to you. They’d rather listen to you. By all means ask questions and show that you are actually interested in what they have to say, but don’t belt out questions one after the other without talking about yourself in between. Doing this makes you sound like an interrogator, not a friend. • When you do ask questions, avoid ones that are personal. Try focusing on something related to the current location or activity. Ask what they think about different things that come up in the
