1) show a genuine interest in other people and ask them questions to learn more about them
2) stop caring how other people perceive you
2) may seem a bit hand wavey here, but it's absolutely crucial that you don't present as desperate to be liked or respected.
At first, you must drop all pretense and learn to listen and ask questions. Answer questions when asked, but be careful not to ramble, and look for segues to get other people talking about the topic.
Once you get more comfortable around other people, you will have a better sense of how to impress them and how to make your own anecdotes more compelling. Humor is a good focus here. But only do this after you are comfortable being a good active listener, since listening is much more important.
1) show a genuine interest in other people and ask them questions to learn more about them
2) stop caring how other people perceive you
2) may seem a bit hand wavey here, but it's absolutely crucial that you don't present as desperate to be liked or respected.
At first, you must drop all pretense and learn to listen and ask questions. Answer questions when asked, but be careful not to ramble, and look for segues to get other people talking about the topic.
Once you get more comfortable around other people, you will have a better sense of how to impress them and how to make your own anecdotes more compelling. Humor is a good focus here. But only do this after you are comfortable being a good active listener, since listening is much more important.