[zfxfr]

Talking to people I did not know was very problematic for me too. It was really crippling, sickening. Whether I had to speak to a single person or a hundred it was the same problem to me. On the other hand I had absolutely no problem talking to a friend or a person I know very well, but in a "formal setting" (like giving a talk or talking to my boss) I felt paralyzed and sick days before I had to speak. I remember spending hours trying to plan my future conversation with somebody like a program. I was literally trying to write every words that should come to my mouth and make different plans for every possible sentences my interlocutor would say.

Of course the stress level was much higher when I knew there would be a crowd listening to me. During my short career I had to give talks in English which to make it worse is not my mother tongue (I am French and bbtw I apologize my written English is also far from perfect). I felt somehow "jealous" of some people I was working with. They seemingly felt no stress at all when we had to give these conferences.

Now I am still not 100% comfortable talking to other people but I believe I made huge progress. I believe one important thing is to accept yourself as you are. Don't try to be someone else. Don't be so egocentric. Other people are no so different than you. I am really nice person and these people in front of you are also very nice why shouldn't they be ?

Yes I know it sound like some stupid Facebook post that some teenager would copy/paste. But at some point this realization somehow helped me.

Here is an other more concrete advice. I have been taking theater class for about 7 months now and I will have my first performance before an audience at the end of July. I believe theater really helped my confidence.