A short advice piece for introverts explaining simple, repeatable steps to feel comfortable meeting new people: prepare a brief script before events with two questions (an opener and a follow-up) to show genuine interest and let conversation grow organically.
There are small steps you can take today to get to a point where you're comfortable putting yourself out there, even if you're an introvert like me. Before going to an event, come up with a script that includes two questions that you can ask anyone at that event. The first question could be hey, what's your name? What's your interest in coming to this event? What do you do? Something along those lines. The second question should always be a follow up to the first question, meaning if you ask someone what did you do? An easy follow up question to that is why did you decide to get into that career? The second question usually works well if it's a follow up that allows you to learn more about the person. This works well because people love talking about themselves and if you show a genuine interest in what that person has to say right away, you create a connection. From there you can let the conversation grow organically.
