Hello. I'm sorry if I sound stupid but I seriously have a hard time conversing with people. I'm a very curious person and I like asking questions but I don't know how to respond once they answer me. By written chat it's much easier to say 'Oh okay thank you' but in personal I feel very awkward and I don't know how to react. What facial expression should I show for 2minutes? Should I look to the person i'm talking to? What If I don't have any question anymore and I can't leave? Should I say 'Ah ok'? Its so awkward. Last night I had a conversation with my stepfather. I was like 'Have you seen a tornado for real' and then he went on talking about tornadoes for a while I had a blank expression on my face. I suddenly feel embarrassed when I realized that. Please help me. I can't go out and talk to people because of this I am scared of having to talk with people. Not sure if i'm in the right board

A very big part about communication isn't the verbal portion at all rather messages and signals sent via body language.

Have you taken the time to observe how other people interact with one another? Where are their eyes focused? What do they do with their hands? How do they stand? Even watching for this with conversations people have on television is a good exercise.

Think about what interactions you do have and what makes you feel engaged. What makes you uncomfortable.

One skill though that is difficult to observe however is determining how close you should stand to someone while speaking. Every person has their own comfort zone and part of communication is understanding their signals which indicate where that zone begins. Unless you are able to immediately understand this, it is best to give people a wide berth. Perhaps stand arm's length away.

Again, observation is your best teacher.

Originally Posted by justafriend306

A very big part about communication isn't the verbal portion at all rather messages and signals sent via body language.

Have you taken the time to observe how other people interact with one another? Where are their eyes focused? What do they do with their hands? How do they stand? Even watching for this with conversations people have on television is a good exercise.

Think about what interactions you do have and what makes you feel engaged. What makes you uncomfortable.

One skill though that is difficult to observe however is determining how close you should stand to someone while speaking. Every person has their own comfort zone and part of communication is understanding their signals which indicate where that zone begins. Unless you are able to immediately understand this, it is best to give people a wide berth. Perhaps stand arm's length away.

Again, observation is your best teacher.

Thank you for taking the time for answering me. I havent been observing people when I see people talking because I have a very uneasy feeling and I tend to just focus on my paranoid thoughts. I am now going to start observing now. Thank you for your advice. You're helpful