Help - really shy at work

[branflake81]

I am quite a shy person and find I really struggle in certain situations at work.

At large meetings where people mingle over tea and coffee before hand I feel like a spare part, hovering on the edge really not knowing what to do or say.

I rarely speak in meetings because I get so nervous I worry I will sound ridiculous.

I'm ok chatting with people I work relatively closely with but for those I see less often the situations are just so hard for me.

Does anyone have any tips (besides drinking wine before meetings to get some dutch courage which, yes, I have considered and I don't even drink!)

Don't bother with wine, but do try red bull! makes me chatty, which I am not usually.

I do sympathise with you, i'm not a chatty person, but I do go off on one at meetings, so don't worry about the pre meeting rubbish so much, but do open up, why would you be talking rubbish if you were at the meeting in the first place? surely if you are at the meeting it means you have something to do with it, so you must have an opinion about it. What is the worst that can happen?

What would you suggest to someone who posted this? Once you get started, just making a few small points you will get into the swing of it.

Also, something I do, make sure you glance at the papers every day, it always helps in a social situation, it's a good conversation starter "what do you think of what Kerry Katona named her baby?" "so it looks like snow this weekend then, will you be out making a snowman?" and all that malarkey

Best advice anyone would give though is just don't worry. Oh and one more thing, don't ever feel inferior by these people, in times of crisis just imagine them on the loo having a big poo! It makes EVERYONE seem more human, because essentially we're all the same (that image can be troublesome though, becasue it can make you randomly laugh, appearing slightly insane!! but what the hell!!)

Good Luck
x