The first thing is to know that almost everybody is shy. The people you see who appear confident in social situations, mostly have just learned to deal with their shyness, and so can you.

The next time you're talking to someone you don't know, think not about yourself but about them. Can you ask them a few polite questions, find out what they are interested in, what the two of you have in common? There is no need at all to worry about saying anything clever, or witty, or impressing people - that all comes later when you know each other. In a new situation, it's more than enough to be nice, friendly and interested - if you can do that, you soon find that everybody wants to talk to you.

You will also soon find that many people, maybe the majority, don't have brilliant social skills. A friendly person and a good listener, which anyone can be, is already someone with better than average social skills. So smile, listen and see how it goes - good luck.