Similarly, I'm an introvert and quickly used to feel uncomfortable among people I didn't know. Parties used to be exhausting! Then I started my own business and

Similarly, I'm an introvert and quickly used to feel uncomfortable among people I didn't know. Parties used to be exhausting! Then I started my own business and had to learn to network. One very helpful idea, taken from the book "How to win friends and influence people" was to take (genuine) interest in the other people present. Instead of talking about myself, I like to ask people what they do, how they got there, what they like, etc. People loooove to talk about themselves, so it makes for very easy conversations, and slowly, each of those strengthened my confidence in such settings to the point where I actually enjoy them now (I still need breaks every 60 minutes to recharge alone before returning back into the crowd).