How to Overcome Social Awkwardness (With Tips)

26 Feb. 2026

How to feel less socially awkward and boost your confidence

It’s common to feel awkward in social situations, but it can have a negative effect on how we view future relationships and situations. Whether you experience this in professional or personal situations, it’s important to find a way to deal with it. This article will explore various tips on how to overcome social awkwardness.

What does it mean to be socially awkward?

Social awkwardness is described as feeling as though other people view you as being socially not having good social skills adept or that you’re unable to meet social etiquette standards.

People can be seen as being socially awkward if they have an inability to pick up on social cues, in turn making it difficult for them to communicate.

Other ways people can be seen as socially awkward include:

Finding it difficult to approach conversations.
Feeling awkward in uncomfortable situations.
Feeling shy or uncomfortable in new social situations.
Finding it difficult to hold a conversation.
Finding it uncomfortable when you don’t know an interaction's goals or expectations.

Socially awkward signs

Everyone is different so experiences will be different, but there There are some a number of signs that could suggest a person may be socially awkward, including:

They feel nervous in social situations.
They misread or don’t understand social cues.
They avoid socialising.
They find it difficult for conversations to flow.
People find their jokes offensive or don’t find them funny.
There are lots of awkward silences when they have conversations.
They feel like people avoid talking to them.
They often overthink conversations they’ve had or regret saying things.

How to be less socially awkward

There are a few ways you can overcome social awkwardness, such as:

1. Plan what you’re going to say

While you can’t plan for all social situations, there are a few you can prepare for. For example, if you need to give feedback on a colleaguescolleague's presentation you may want to practice what you want to say to avoid causing offence or things coming across the wrong way. When preparing you should:

Think about what tone you want to use.
Identify the feedback you want to provide.
Create a list of potential solutions.
Ask other colleagues or senior members of staff for advice.

2. Practice your listening skills

Practising your active listening skills is essential for overcoming social awkwardness. It allows you not only to understand what someone is saying, but also to pick up on how they’re feeling. Simple techniques can help, such as maintaining comfortable eye contact, nodding to show you’re following, or paraphrasing their points back to them (for example, “So what you’re saying is…”).

You can also ask gentle follow‑up questions like “How did that make you feel?” or “What happened next?” to show genuine curiosity and encourage them to keep sharing.

These behaviours help you fully engage in the conversation.

3. Identify what makes you comfortable

Identifying what makes you feel uncomfortable is an important step in overcoming social awkwardness. A few things you may identify are:

That you feel uncomfortable when you don’t understand something. For example, if this occurs at work then asking for clarification, further support or for someone to run through a task again may make you feel more comfortable.
You feel uncomfortable when someone continually talks over you. You may want to consider having a conversation with this person in a polite manner to prevent it happening again.

4. Consider using relaxation techniques

Finding different ways to relax can help ease the feeling of uncomfortableness. Some relaxation techniques include:

Going for a walk or run.
Completing breath work.
Listening to calming music.
Reading.

View social opportunities as a positive rather than a negative

While social situations can be awkward, identifying the positives can help you make them more comfortable. By identifying things to look forward to as part of the situation, it can make them feel less daunting and help change your mindset to a more positive outlook. For example if you need to attend a networking event for work, a positive part is that it allows you to practice interacting with new people.

Focus on learning how to understand social cues

Learning to understand social cues, especially non verbalnon-verbal ones can help you avoid awkward situations.

If a person is avoiding eye contact or generally looks a bit distant in a conversationconversation, then they’re likely to be disinterested. Failing to pick up on this can lead to awkward situations. When in professional and personal situations you can practice reading social cues to help you improve your communication.

Believe in yourself

Although easier said than done, believing in yourself can help you better deal with social situations. Having your own back and giving yourself the confidence to start and continue conversations can set you on the right path toward overcoming social awkwardness.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Asking questions can help you better understand a task, situation or person, allowing you to better communicate. In most situations when avoiding awkwardness it may be better to stick to asking professional questions, however asking personal questions like ‘what did you get up to at the weekend?’ or ‘what hobbies do you enjoy?’ will allow you to get a more well- rounded picture of your colleagues and friends.

Actively learn how to handle awkward social situations

Learning how to navigate awkward social situations can take a bit of time. When at work you could ask about tasks or projects your colleague is working on to help avoid unpleasant silences.

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