I used to be shy when I was a teenager and only started to break out of my shell once I got sales and customer service jobs. These jobs taught me how to interact with a wide range of people. And my success as a sales person was literally tied to my people skills, so I learned that way.

I would say, anything you're irrationally afraid of (that isn't literally dangerous), you should consciously seek out and force yourself into situations.

I remember when I was younger I was conscious of the fact that I was socially awkward, and the awareness of that just fed into my social interactions.