Overcome Shyness at Work: 3 Powerful Tips to Boost Confidence and Thrive

Why don't people ever get the memo that you're not the social type?

Here comes another invite from a friend on WhatsApp inviting you to a hangout. Of course you're just going to do the usual thing, politely turn down the invite.

You perhaps have turned down many invites to events and hangouts out of shyness but you can't talk yourself out of going to work.

“Can you?”

Shyness in the workplace can hold you back from building relationships, sharing ideas, and seizing opportunities.

If you struggle with shyness at work, you’re not alone, I used to struggle with this at some point in my life too.

Fortunately, I found these effective strategies and I thought to share with you;

1. Start Small with One-on-One Interactions: Shyness often stems from feeling overwhelmed in group settings. But you should always remember that no one is perfect and be free . When you focus on making genuine contributions (no matter how little) and stop focusing on yourself, you're well on your way to overcoming shyness.

For example: If you’re in a meeting and feel hesitant to speak up, follow up with a colleague afterward to ask for their thoughts or offer your input. This simple step will make you feel more included and gradually build your confidence for bigger discussions.

2. Challenge Yourself Gradually: Avoid being pressurized to step out of your comfort zone, instead do it gradually. Set small, achievable goals to challenge yourself over time. Whether it’s contributing one idea in a meeting or volunteering to work on a project, these small steps will build momentum and help you grow more comfortable in social interactions at work.?

For example: You can commit to speaking at least once in a team meeting each week. Whether it’s asking a question, offering an idea, or giving feedback, this routine will make it easier for you to engage and ultimately reduce your shyness.

3. Prepare and Practice What You Want to Say: Another thing that often cause shyness is uncertainty about what to say. You can overcome this by preparing and practicing. Before important meetings or presentations, rehearse your key points. The more prepared you are, the less nervous you’ll feel when it’s time to speak up . Remember to be kind to yourself when you make mistakes because this can happen too.

For example: Let's say you've rehearsed your points for a particular presentation and whilst presenting you forgot a particular illustration, instead of trying to remember the particular illustration you rehearsed, just try to create a similar illustration that drives home your point.

With these few points of mine, I hope shyness becomes a thing of the past for you.

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