Enter a room and you find a sea of unfamiliar faces. What is your first reaction? Do you greet everyone with a friendly-smile or look for a corner seat? Does being amidst a group of people help you relax or do you get pangs of discomfort, with your heart skipping a beat, your hands turning all sweaty and you feeling like running away? If you feel the former, congratulations you aren't boggled down with the shyness syndrome but if by all chances you feel the latter, and this story sounds similar to yours, then you are definitely suffering from the symptoms of shyness. Why is that we all want to be surrounded by a group of friends and live in the limelight, but only a handful of us succeed? The fact is that every homosapien is shy, but some learn the act of hiding a little bit of it, while others put it to the side and move on. But, each one of us has fears and self-doubts. On an honest note, feeling shy isn’t a debilitating disease, but it sure can affect you both personally and professionally if you do not learn how to overcome it. When it comes to the professional world, it is highly essential to make a good impression, which is only possible by introducing yourself to co-workers, initiating a conversation, speaking when required, and portraying yourself as a potential strong leader in the near future. A number of approaches can help you defeat shyness and allow you to break open the nut. Here are some tactics that can be of utmost help to you in overcoming shyness.
Increase Contacts
We didn’t indicate business contacts here, but actually face-to-face contacts that you make with people on a daily basis in your organization. Make it a point that you meet your boss at least once during the day. Be it in the coffee area or while leaving for the day, make sure that you run into your boss and greet him/her at least once to build a good rapport. And that (good rapport) is only possible if your boss knows you. As such, you need to keep aside your shyness and increase contact more than once or twice a week with your seniors. Given an opportunity, do not miss to make the most of it, as managers are extremely busy and getting a golden chance comes once in a while.
Target Meetings
What is the use of acquiring the right kind of knowledge and keeping it embedded in your brain? Unless you speak up, your thoughts will not be divulged and your seniors would not know how capable you are. So, whenever meetings are held, put down your views and ask questions to show that you are involved in the meeting. For complex projects and numerous deliveries, clarify your duties and due dates to exhibit that you are keen upon working on them and are driving on the same track. By doing so, you may even find out that you are picking up the wrong route and hence, can rectify your errors and elucidate your doubts.
Aim More Work
Understood that you want to generate a good rapport and earn respect in the eyes of your boss and other colleagues. But nothing’s worse than loitering around the office when you are idle and have no work to do. This will only result in negative publicity about your lack of interest in your assigned duties. Instead, hit an email to your boss or drop in his cabin to let him know that more work can be piled upon your plate. Managers love it when their juniors walk up to them asking for more work. This can be very effective for shy people, in particular, since it will help them open up, demonstrate that they are productive, and have the potential of initiating.
Interact With Co-Workers
While all the above listed tips can help you earn reputation from your boss and seniors, having a good conversation with your colleagues can also do great wonders. Since you may not always be interacting with your managers, looking up to your co-workers can help you to a great extent. These are people with whom you would be working all the while. As such, initiating a positive chat with people surrounding you can help you overcome your shyness and break open the cocoon.
By following these baby steps, you are likely to overcome your shyness and use it effectively in promoting yourself. Use your skills to demonstrate to your boss that he was right while hiring you.
