The ability to start conversations confidently and talk comfortably gets you more from life than just about any other skill.

Here are the top 5 tips

1. Raise Your Self-Esteem - From my own experience and that of helping my readers, I’ve discovered many social skills issues stem from a low sense of self-worth.

Deep down, you feel others are better or you’re just not enough. Maybe you don’t feel your life is on the right track.

2. Open Body Language-Good body language makes you appear self-assured to others, and gets you feeling that way too. Stand erect. Hold your head up and have good eye contact. Smile a bit.

3. Practice Self-Disclosure-A core component of good communication skills and making friends is connecting. You do this by letting them get to know you and vice versa.

4.Be Mindful -Is the person wearing an interesting piece of clothing? Was that a strange tone of voice while talking about their roommate?

This is all information you can use to expand the conversation.

5. Know Some Current Topics - Having a topic or two in mind can help when you’re running low on things to say.

So pop online to see what’s happening in the news. Good topics are usually light (not politics, religion, etc.) and either funny or opinion provoking.