Learning about the other Person

I'm a pretty anxious person myself, and doing the whole human interaction waltz can be a little difficult. One of the things I've realized about myself is that the same anxiety that can make it difficult to talk to and meet new people actually helps me.

I don't want to be seen as quiet or shy, so I find myself talking a lot more to avoid that. The way I do so is by asking the other person questions about themselves. People love talking about themselves. Then, after hearing an answer, there's almost always something to relate to in the answer that you can then talk about. I've realized that this becomes more natural the more you do it. Practice makes perfect. Instead of focusing on what you are/aren't doing right, focus on learning about the other person.