Introduction
Shyness and social anxiety are universal. From time to time, almost everyone has felt 
nervous speaking in front of a group or anxious when interacting with another person. 
We wonder if a presentation has gone well or whether we have made a good impression 
on a ﬁrst date or a job interview. In fact, even some celebrities, who make their living 
in the public eye, have been described as excessively shy from time to time, including 
Harrison Ford (actor), Mary Chapin Carpenter (singer), Michelle Pfeiffer (actor), David 
Bowie (rock star), David Letterman (talk-show host), Nicole Kidman (actor), and Carrie 
Underwood ( American Idol  winner). There have also been reports in the media about 
musical performers like Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, and Donny Osmond suffering 
from performance anxiety. Even radio “shock jock” Howard Stern has described himself 
as being painfully shy when he is outside the safe conﬁnes of his on-air studio. (FYI, 
details on other shy celebrities can be found at www.shakeyourshyness.com/shypeople  
.htm.)
Shyness and social anxiety can range in intensity from being fairly mild to completely 
incapacitating. In extreme cases, social anxiety may prevent an individual from develop -
ing friendships, working, or even standing in a public place. Regardless of whether your 
fears are minor or completely overwhelming, the strategies described in this book will 
help you to deal more effectively with social anxiety.
We recommend that you read this workbook in the order in which the chapters 
appear. The initial chapters are designed to educate you about the nature of social 
anxiety and to teach you how to evaluate the main features of your own social anxiety.