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I think you have to get used to the idea that you might have to get worse before you get better. You can be mildly interesting by shutting your mouth. (Body language and good dress go a long way. Sometimes a really long way.) But you need to learn to talk if you want to get through these other situations. That means going out there and making mistakes. Maybe talking too much. Maybe being boring. Maybe saying stupid things. But that's the only way you can find the few interactions that ARE good, and try to follow that pattern more than your failures. You may even surprise yourself.
It's the same thing with touching. Some guys are so afraid of touching that they just don't do it, and come off as frigid or uncomfortable. Sometimes you have to try being overly touchy, to the point of being creepy, before you understand how much touching you can get away with.
This is a very good point.
When it comes to public speaking, there are many groups where you can go and they are extremely friendly to beginners and fully expect them to make certain mistakes. It's a shame it isn't like this socially. But you have to just be willing to be a beginner to make progress.
That's why some people actually have students go out and purposely fail at first. Fear of failure is even more of an issue than not having skills. You have to be willing to make mistakes and expect to in order to gain practice.
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